MINUSMA/Harandane Dicko
FROM THE FIELD: Guinean peacekeepers walk a fine line in Mali
31 October 2018
Peace and Security
A team of Guinean peacekeepers deployed to the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, (MINUSMA) is playing a key role in removing explosives from areas in which the mission is operating.
UNAMA/Fardin Waezi
Political incitement to violence against journalists is ‘toxic’: UN experts
31 October 2018
Human Rights
A group of independent, UN-appointed human rights experts have called on world leaders to stop inciting hatred and violence against the media, citing the hundreds of journalists killed or forcibly detained because of their work, and ensure that those responsible are held accountable.
UN Photo/Martine Perret
Security Council extends mandate of UN peace mission in Western Sahara by six months
31 October 2018
Peace and Security
The United Nations Security Council, on Wednesday, extended the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), until 30 April next year.
UN Photo/Loey Felipe
UN chief appoints Norwegian diplomat as his new envoy for Syria
31 October 2018
Peace and Security
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed veteran Norwegian diplomat Geir O. Pedersen as his next Special Envoy for Syria.
UN Photo/Rick Bajornas
‘United against hate’: UN chief and religious leaders honour victims of Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
31 October 2018
Peace and Security
Calling for solidarity against anti-Semitism, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, addressed an inter-faith tribute held on Wednesday in New York’s historic Park East Synagogue, to honour victims of Saturday’s mass-shooting in Pittsburgh.
© UNICEF/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi
‘No cure’ for HIV in Zimbabwe says UN, following claims from local preacher
31 October 2018
Health
The United Nations in Zimbabwe is reaffirming that people living with HIV and AIDS need to continue with antiretroviral (ARV) therapy to manage their infections, after a local preacher reportedly claimed that he had received divine revelation of an herbal cure.
UN Photo/Martine Perret
Plastic-busting fungi may help tackle pollution, climate change: UN Environment
31 October 2018
SDGs
When it comes to helping green our world, organic mushrooms from the local market may be just the tip of the iceberg. A new United Nations-backed report reveals that fungi could help ween the world off its plastic addiction, by degrading polyurethane in just a matter of weeks.
IOM/Konstantin Skomorokh
Exercise ‘utmost restraint’ in eastern Ukraine to safeguard civilian life, top UN official urges fighters on the ground
30 October 2018
Peace and Security
After a lull in fighting in Ukraine over the summer, the last few weeks have seen a sharp rise in civilian deaths, more than half of which are due to landmines and explosive remnants of war, the United Nations top political official said on Tuesday.
IOM
Nigeria: Awareness-raising radio show on perils and opportunities of migration, launched by UN agency
30 October 2018
Economic Development
A radio series was launched on Tuesday in Nigeria by the UN migration agency (IOM) to sensitize vulnerable people seeking to pursue economic opportunities abroad on the perils of irregular migration – migration done outside the regulated frameworks – and provide information on pathways to migrate legally and safely.
UN-Habitat/Julius Mwelu
Weekly migration of 1.4m to cities can contribute to ‘disasters’
30 October 2018
Climate Change
The migration of some 1.4 million people every week to cities around the world “can strain local capacities, contributing to increased risk from natural and human made disasters’” according to the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
UN Photo/Laura Jarriel
UN rights chief says ‘bar must be set very high’ for investigation of murdered Saudi journalist
30 October 2018
Law and Crime Prevention
The United Nations human rights chief pressed on Tuesday for an impartial, investigation into the “shockingly brazen” murder of Saudi Arabian journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.
UNDP Mexico/Andrea Egan
FROM THE FIELD: Urban Mexico moves toward better livelihoods, cleaner cities
30 October 2018
SDGs
Mexico is improving the lives of the 80 percent of its inhabitants residing in cities, by pushing towards less polluted, more eco-friendly environments, thanks to support from the UN.
UN Photo/Manuel Elias
Security Council urges responder-safety focus, as DR Congo Ebola outbreak worsens
30 October 2018
Peace and Security
The United Nations Security Council has voiced “serious concern” over the impact of deteriorating security situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on the response to the deadly Ebola outbreak and fears that the virus could spread further into the country and the wider region.
© UNHCR/Ibrahima Diane
80,000 youngsters at risk in DRC after forcible expulsion from Angola: UNICEF
30 October 2018
Migrants and Refugees
Tens of thousands of children who have been forcibly returned from Angola to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) need help urgently, UN Children’s Fund UNICEF said on Tuesday.
World Bank/Irina Oleinik
Rich economies not a promise of education equality, new report finds
29 October 2018
Culture and Education
High national wealth does not guarantee equal access to a quality education, a new report released on Tuesday by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) suggests.
UNICEF/Rajat Madhok
Halt death sentences on children, UN rights expert urge Saudi authorities
29 October 2018
Human Rights
Saudi Arabia has been urged by United Nations human rights experts to immediately halt the execution of six people sentenced to death for crimes allegedly committed when they were under the age of 18.
© UNHCR/Steffen Limboki
FROM THE FIELD: 10,000 Indonesia quake survivors to receive UN tents
29 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
More than 2,000 emergency tents have been delivered by the UN to the people worst affected by the devastating earquake and tsunami that struck Sulawesi in Indonesia in September, 2018.
WFP/Photolibrary
Aid convoy for north-east Syria postponed over security concerns – UN relief chief
29 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
A humanitarian convoy carrying relief aid for tens of thousands of “desperate” civilians in north-eastern Syria who have not received aid since January this year, has been postponed owing to security concerns along its route, the United Nations top humanitarian official said on Monday.
© UNICEF/Mungunkhishig Batbaatar
More than nine in ten children exposed to deadly air pollution
29 October 2018
Health
Air pollution is “stunting children’s brains” and affecting their health in more ways than was previously suspected, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.
IRIN/Amantha Perera
‘Exercise restraint’ Guterres urges Sri Lankans, as political crisis deepens
28 October 2018
Peace and Security
United Nations chief António Guterres said on Sunday he was following Sri Lanka’s deepening political crisis with “great concern”, after a man was killed allegedly by a politician’s bodyguard, who reportedly fired on a crowd of demonstrators.
UN Photo/Mark Garten
UN chief calls for ‘united front’ against anti-Semitism after US synagogue mass-shooting
27 October 2018
Peace and Security
The UN Secretary-General said on Saturday he was “deeply shocked” by a deadly mass-shooting inside a synagogue in the US city of Pittsburgh, which reportedly left 11 people dead and several others wounded, some critically.
MINUSMA Photo
Mali: Two peacekeepers dead after dawn attack, several injured – UN Mission
27 October 2018
Peace and Security
The UN Stabilization Mission in Mali, MINUSMA, reported on Saturday that two peacekeepers had been killed and several others wounded, following on from a coordinated attack at dawn, on a base in the north of the country.
UN Photo
‘Bring to life’ precious moments caught on film or tape, UN agency urges on World Day
26 October 2018
Culture and Education
Old, grainy film and video footage from years gone by, not only stirs powerful memories – it’s also a vital resource for future generations, the United Nations cultural agency has highlighted, urging everyone to safeguard audio-visual heritage and make archives more accessible.
UN Photo/Rick Bajornas
Syrian Government's ‘different understanding’ of UN role, a ‘very serious challenge’ - Special Envoy
26 October 2018
Peace and Security
The difficulties of “keeping everyone onboard” an agreed path to peace in Syria highlights that “radically different” approaches are likely doomed to failure, the out-going United Nations Special Envoy for the war-torn country warned on Friday.
UN Photo/Staton Winter
FROM THE FIELD: Photos highlight agony of West African civil wars
26 October 2018
Peace and Security
The role of two photographers who raised global awareness of civilian suffering during Liberia’s brutal civil war, is being celebrated in a new photographic exhibition which opens on Friday night in New York, supported by the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations.
UNICEF México
2,300 migrant children in Central American ‘caravan’ need protection, UNICEF says
26 October 2018
Migrants and Refugees
As some 7,000 mostly-Honduran migrants continue their journey northwards toward the United States, governments must prioritize the needs of migrant children when it comes to applying immigration laws and procedures, said the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Friday.
UNICEF/UN0162335/Tremeau
Over 330,000 Congolese migrants at risk after mass deportations from Angola – UN rights chief
26 October 2018
Human Rights
The United Nations human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, on Friday warned that the forcible mass expulsion of Congolese migrants from Angola has resulted in “serious human rights violations by security forces on both sides of the border” and left at least 330,000 returnees in an “extremely precarious situation”.
UN Photo/Mark Garten
Jordan flash flooding: UN chief ‘saddened’ by loss of life
26 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Thursday that he was “deeply saddened by the loss of life and extensive damage” that occurred from large-scale flash flooding near the Dead Sea, in Jordan, which reportedly swept away a bus carrying pupils and staff on a school trip.
OSCE/Ilgar Hasanov
‘Deteriorating’ human rights in Belarus amounts to ‘wholescale oppression’: UN expert
25 October 2018
Human Rights
A crackdown on free speech is the latest worrying development amid the deteriorating, “wholescale oppression” of human rights in Belarus, an independent expert told the UN General Assembly, on Thursday.
UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferre
UN rights chief denounces Burundi for ‘belligerent and defamatory’ attack on inquiry team
25 October 2018
Human Rights
The top United Nations human rights official has called on Burundi to “immediately retract” its threat to try and prosecute members of a UN Commission of Inquiry into rights abuses in the central African nation.
UN Photo/Manuel Elias
‘Crippling to our credibility’ that number of women peacekeepers is so low: UN chief
25 October 2018
Peace and Security
Despite greater participation of women in building and sustaining peace and the recognition from all quarters of the value they bring, the realities on the ground show that much more remains to be done, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told Security Council members on Thursday.
UN Photo/Rick Bajornas
Oslo leads the way in ‘Breathe Life’ campaign for cleaner cities in climate change era
25 October 2018
Climate Change
Norway’s capital Oslo is paving a fossil-free, electrified, path in its push toward improving air quality, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced.
© UNICEF/UN0188875/Njiokiktjien
‘Essential step’ towards universal health care made at pivotal UN conference
25 October 2018
Health
United Nations Member States have unanimously vowed to strengthen primary health care, as an “essential step” towards achieving universal health coverage for all.
UN Women/Ryan Brown
FROM THE FIELD: Enslaved Guatemalan indigenous women wait for reparations
25 October 2018
Women
Fifteen Guatemalan women from the Q’eqchi indigenous group, who were enslaved and raped by the military during the Central American country’s 36-year-long civil conflict, are still waiting for hard-won reparations to materialize.
Photo: IAEA/Giovanni Verlini
UN agency ramps up effort to counter growing nuclear threat from cyberspace
24 October 2018
Peace and Security
As part of its efforts to strengthen nuclear security worldwide, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), announced on Wednesday that it has developed a training programme designed to protect facilities from the growing threat of cyber-attacks.
UNICEF/Ruslana Sirman
Accountability for atrocities in Myanmar ‘cannot be expected’ within its borders – UN investigator
24 October 2018
Human Rights
Continued denial of the facts and evidence of gross human rights violations by Myanmar is a clear indication of the country’s “lack of interest” in establishing a fully functioning democracy based on individual rights and freedoms, two United Nations independent experts have underscored.
IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth
Funding boost for sustainable development data agreed at UN conference
24 October 2018
SDGs
In a declaration agreed at the close of the 2018 UN World Data Forum in Dubai on Wednesday, leaders in the field agreed on measures to boost funding for data and statistical analysis, to speed up progress towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
©FAO/Riccardo Gangale
Those who produce food are among world’s hungriest – UN rights expert
24 October 2018
Economic Development
Agricultural workers have the hardest time accessing food for themselves, and are often excluded from national labour and social protection frameworks, a United Nations independent human rights expert said on Tuesday.
© UNHCR/Fauzan Ijazah
‘Never give up’: UN chief urges all who serve, marking UN Day
24 October 2018
Peace and Security
Marking the 2018 United Nations Day, which falls on 24 October, Secretary-General António Guterres is urging the men and women of the UN, and those they serve, to “never give up” tackling the world’s many challenges.
UNAMA/Fardin Waezi
UN Security Council hails ‘courage’ of Afghan voters
23 October 2018
Peace and Security
Welcoming Saturday’s parliamentary elections in Afghanistan, the United Nations Security Council called for continued engagement with electoral institutions and urged that any complaints over the vote should be channelled through established legal and constitutional mechanisms.
OCHA/Ahmed ben Lassoued
Half the population of Yemen at risk of famine: UN emergency relief chief
23 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
Around 14 million people in Yemen, or half the total population of the country, are facing “pre-famine conditions,” said the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, in a briefing to the Security Council on Tuesday.
OCHA/Mustafa El Halabi
Dramatic funding shortages a ‘severe catastrophe’ for people of Gaza: UN Coordinator
23 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, Jamie McGoldrick, has been describing how ordinary Gazans are scraping by on just four hours of electricity per day due to fuel shortages, putting many in “a terrible situation” as the winter months approach.
Audio - 7'46" Playlist
UNHCR/Vivian Tou’meh
Feeding families remains complex task in war-torn Syria – UN relief agency
23 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
Nearly a million Syrians have headed home amid improving security, only to find houses destroyed and livelihoods lost said the United Nations emergency food relief agency on Tuesday, leaving many civilians still reliant on aid.
MINUSCA/Hervé Serefio
‘Reasons to hope’ for sustainable peace in Central African Republic – UN Mission chief
23 October 2018
Peace and Security
The top United Nations official in the Central African Republic (CAR), said on Tuesday he is “hopeful that the necessary foundations to build sustainable peace” have been established and that long-lasting stability will depend on the will of its people, and support from the international community.
UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferre
UN expert calls for international investigation into ‘evident murder’ of Jamal Khashoggi
23 October 2018
Peace and Security
The UN independent expert on freedom of opinion and expression, has said he’s “very disappointed” that Member States have so far failed to back calls for an independent international investigation into the “evident murder” of dissident Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.
© UNICEF/Giacomo Pirozzi
French full-body veil ban, violated women’s freedom of religion: UN Human Rights Committee
23 October 2018
Human Rights
Following complaints by two French Muslim women, fined for wearing a full-body veil or niqab, a UN Committee of independent human rights experts ruled in their favour on Tuesday, stating that their freedom to practice their religion had been infringed.
© UNICEF/Adriana Zehbrauskas
As human caravan moves through Mexico, ‘full respect’ needed for national control of borders: UN chief
22 October 2018
Migrants and Refugees
With more than 7,000 Central-American refugees now on the march through Mexico towards the southern border of the United States in search of safety and work, all countries involved are being urged by the UN to liaise with key agencies on the ground providing support.
Audio - 7'19" Playlist
UNAMID
Darfur: Inter-communal tensions still high despite improved security, Mission head tells Security Council
22 October 2018
Peace and Security
While security has improved in Darfur, inter-communal tensions in the conflict-plagued region of Sudan are still high, with clashes over land and livestock, the head of the joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission said on Monday.
UN Photo/Isaac Billy
‘Many challenges to overcome’ at UN, in fight against abuse: victims’ advocate
22 October 2018
Human Rights
The UN is committed to recognizing the rights of victims of sexual exploitation by UN personnel but, when it comes to preventing and responding to abuse, there is a still “a long way to go, and many challenges to overcome,” says the UN’s first-ever Victims’ Rights Advocate Jane Connors.
A’Melody Lee/World Bank
Governments, businesses ‘walk the talk’ for investment in sustainable development: UN forum
22 October 2018
SDGs
Business and government leaders from around the world have gathered at a major United Nations conference in Geneva, in search of innovative and strategic solutions to complex investment and development challenges.
© UNICEF/Thomas Nybo
Ebola in DR Congo: UN chief ‘outraged’ by recent killings of civilians and health workers
22 October 2018
Peace and Security
The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres said on Monday he is “outraged by the continued killing and abduction of civilians by armed groups” near Beni, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)’s North Kivu region, which has been grappling with an Ebolaoutbreak since August.
Audio - 4'45" Playlist
IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth
Many deaths can be avoided with better data: UN deputy chief
22 October 2018
SDGs
Speaking at the opening session of the UN World Data Forum on Monday, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammedhighlighted the life-saving impact that data can have, noting that better data and forecasting could have averted many deaths from natural disasters.
UN DESA
Data experts gather to find solutions to world’s biggest challenges at UN Forum
22 October 2018
SDGs
International data sectors from national statistical offices, the private sector, NGOs, academia and international and regional organizations are gathering in Dubai from Monday to Wednesday, in a bid to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
UN Photo/Cia Pak
Here’s what happens at the UN General Assembly when world leaders have gone home
22 October 2018
UN Affairs
After the world media spotlight fades on the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate, the work of the Assembly, the UN’s primary deliberative body, shifts to its so-called Main Committees, where the bulk of the Organization’s work get done.
UNAMA/Jaffar Rahim
Amidst deadly violence, UN calls on Afghan authorities to ensure voters can cast ballot
20 October 2018
Peace and Security
Against a backdrop of violence and technical malfunctions, the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has released a statement calling on the country’s electoral authorities to re-double their efforts to make sure all eligible voters are given a reasonable opportunity to cast their ballot.
UNHCR/Caroline Gluck
Accountability a key pillar for reconciliation in Myanmar: UN Envoy
20 October 2018
Migrants and Refugees
Accountability and inclusive dialogue are two important pillars for national reconciliation in Myanmar, said the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General (SESG), Christine Schraner Burgener in a statement released on Saturday, adding that “credible fact-finding is the first step towards accountability.”
UN Photo/Cia Pak
UN chief ‘deeply troubled’ by Saudi confirmation of Jamal Khashoggi’s death
19 October 2018
Peace and Security
In a statement released on Friday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that he is “deeply troubled” by the reported confirmation of the death of Jamal Khashoggi.
Johnathan Levinson/IRIN
Children separated at border, suffering alarming and prolonged effects: UN rights experts
19 October 2018
Human Rights
Separating children from their undocumented parents is a traumatic violation of their rights, UN independent experts said on Friday.
UN/Elma Okic Edit
UN rights experts stand with businesses protesting Saudi journalist’s disappearance
19 October 2018
Law and Crime Prevention
Independent UN human rights experts are praising business leaders who have decided to pull out of a high-level investment conference taking place next week in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, over concern for the fate of dissident Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.
MINUSMA/Marco Dormino
Mali: UN Peacekeeping chief ‘extremely concerned’ over insecurity, regrets peace deal delays
19 October 2018
Peace and Security
After commending the “overall peaceful” climate in which the Malian elections were held in July, the United Nations peacekeeping chief said on Friday that he is “extremely concerned” over the increasing number of attacks by armed insurgents, against a backdrop of continued delays in implementing the 2015 peace agreement.
UNAMA
UN deplores pre-election killings and attacks, urges Afghans to defy terror, and vote
19 October 2018
Peace and Security
With just hours to go before Saturday’s parliamentary elections in Afghanistan, the UN has been expressing concern at the uptick in deadly political violence in the country, whilst encouraging Afghans to exercise their right to vote.
© UNHCR/Fauzan Ijazah
Sulawesi devastation ‘beyond imagination’ as massive aid operation continues: UN relief agencies
19 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
More emergency shelter supplies and relief for thousands of victims of Indonesia’s recent earthquake and tsunami is set to arrive on the island of Sulawesi in the coming days, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Friday, amid reports from staff that the devastation is “beyond imagination”.
Photo: UPU
UN postal agency ‘regrets’ US withdrawal
18 October 2018
Economic Development
The United Nations specialized agency which coordinates the global postal system, has expressed “regret” over the withdrawal by the United States from the world body’s membership.
UN Photo/Loey Felipe
Khashoggi case highlights ‘very worrying practice’ of overseas abductions, says UN expert
18 October 2018
Human Rights
The case of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi is just the latest example of a “new and very worrying practice” of States abducting individuals beyond their own borders, said the Chair of the UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances, addressing the UN General Assembly on Thursday.
UN Photo/Rick Bajornas
Restoring prospect of peace in Middle East is ‘our shared responsibility’ UN envoy tells Security Council
18 October 2018
Peace and Security
Violence is on the rise in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israeli authorities are continuing to demolish and confiscate Palestinian-owned homes and property, in contravention of international law, the United Nations envoy for the Middle East Peace Process said on Thursday.
UNESCO, DDB
Bring killers of journalists to justice: UN agency seeks media partners for new campaign
18 October 2018
Peace and Security
Every four days, a journalist is murdered, often for simply doing their job of uncovering something that someone wants to stay hidden: the vast majority of these killings go unpunished.
© UNHCR/Noor Elshin
Under fire, UN refugee agency evacuates 135 detained in Libya to Niger
18 October 2018
Migrants and Refugees
Amid increasingly violent clashes between rival armed groups in Libya’s capital,Tripoli, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has successfully airlifted 135 migrants and refugees to safety in Niger.
© UNICEF/Aaref Watad
‘More time’ agreed for buffer zone, to spare three million Syrian civilians in Idlib
18 October 2018
Peace and Security
Russia and Turkey have said that they will allow “more time” for opposition groups to withdraw from a de-escalation zone in Syria’s Idlib, which has been spared air raids for more than a month, a senior humanitarian adviser to the UN said on Thursday.
UNMISS
UN rights chief calls for release of hundreds abducted and abused in South Sudan
18 October 2018
Human Rights
Hundreds of civilians who were taken by opposition forces in South Sudan’s Western Equatoria region during an uptick in fighting are still missing, the UN’s top rights official said on Thursday, in a call for their immediate release.
Audio - 6'7" Playlist
UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferre
INTERVIEW: Advancing human rights, a ‘never ending process’ says new UN rights chief
17 October 2018
Human Rights
In August, Michelle Bachelet, twice-elected President of Chile and the first head of UN Women, was confirmed as the new UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, replacing Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein.
Audio - 14'34" Playlist
UN Photo/Loey Felipe
Africa is ‘on the rise’, says UN chief Guterres, urging collaboration for better future
17 October 2018
SDGs
Africa is “on the move and on the rise” with communities coming together to resolve their problems and offer mutual support, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted on Wednesday.
UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferre
World ‘deserves to know the truth’ behind Khashoggi disappearance: UN human rights chief
17 October 2018
Human Rights
United Nations human rights chief Michele Bachelet said on Wednesday that she was open to an independent, UN-led investigation into the fate of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, if joint efforts by Turkey and Saudi Arabia, fail to uncover the facts.
WHO
‘Virginity testing’: a human rights violation, with no scientific basis - UN
17 October 2018
Women
A group of United Nations agencies has issued a joint statement calling for a ban on tests meant to assess the virginity of a girl or a woman, which is a common practice in at least 20 countries.
Audio - 8'38" Playlist
Audio Playlist
UN Photo
West Bank: ‘imminent’ demolition of Palestinian village could be ‘war crime’ – ICC Prosecutor
17 October 2018
Human Rights
The Prosecutor mandated to oversee the Occupied Palestinian Territory for the International Criminal Court (ICC) statedon Wednesday that her office is keeping “a close eye” on the planned demolition of a Palestinian village in the West Bank by Israeli authorities, warning that, according to international law, it could constitute a “war crime”.
UN Photo/Rick Bajornas
Veteran UN Syria Envoy to step down, pledges to work 'until the last hour' for peace
17 October 2018
Peace and Security
The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, told the Security Council on Wednesday that he is stepping down at the end of next month, after four years and four months on the job
WFP/Jonathan Dumont
UN Chief says ending poverty ‘a question of justice’ on International Day
17 October 2018
Human Rights
Highlighting that for the United Nations, eliminating poverty in all its forms remains one of the greatest global challenges and priorities, UN Secretary-General António Guterres stressed the fundamental connection between eradicating poverty and upholding equal rights for all.
UNFPA/Ollivier Girard
World population set to grow another 2.2 billion by 2050: UN survey
17 October 2018
Economic Development
The world’s population is set to grow by 2.2 billion between now and 2050, the UN said on Wednesday, and more than half of that growth - 1.3 billion - is likely to be in sub-Saharan Africa, where women’s rights are hampered by limited access to healthcare and education, along with “entrenched gender discrimination”.
Audio - 9'37" Playlist
OCHA / Yasmina Guerda
Nigeria: UN chief ‘appalled’ by killing of aid worker; calls for release of remaining hostages
16 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
The United Nations Secretary-General strongly condemned on Tuesday the killing of an aid worker from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in north-east Nigeria. He said he was “appalled” by her death on Monday.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
UN ‘stands in solidarity’ with cyclone-hit India – Secretary-General Guterres
16 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed sadness at the loss of lives and devastation caused by Cyclone Titli in India and said that the Organization is ready to provide assistance.
©FAO/Amos Gumulira
World Food Day: here’s what the UN is doing to fix ‘intolerable’ wrong of hunger
16 October 2018
Economic Development
“In our world of plenty, one person in nine does not have enough to eat”, saidUnited Nations chief António Guterres on Tuesday, marking World Food Day. With this year’s theme, “our actions are our future”, the UN and its partners, held events and launched information campaigns worldwide, to amplify one message: achieving zero hunger by 2030 is possible, provided we “join forces”.
UNHCR/Colin Delfosse
Conflict diamonds and climate change: Cooperate, don’t compete over natural resources urges Guterres
16 October 2018
Peace and Security
The struggle over natural resources often lies at the heart of violent conflicts, fuelling strife in many parts of the world, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday, urging governments and everyone with a stake in valuable resources, to think hard about how they are managed and exploited.
© World Bank/Flickr
UN experts report: Business ‘dragging its feet’ on human rights worldwide
16 October 2018
Human Rights
Too many businesses are putting profit above human rights and “ignoring” their obligations, while governments fail to “regulate and lead by example”, according to a United Nations human rights report, published on Tuesday.
© UNHCR/Pumla Rulashe
Congolese expelled from Angola returning to ‘desperate situation’: UN refugee agency
16 October 2018
Migrants and Refugees
Congolese nationals forced back across the border to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), after being expelled from neighbouring Angola, “are returning to a desperate situation,” a UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) spokesperson said on Tuesday.
© UNHCR/David Azia
UN migration agency: young Rohingya girls, largest group of trafficking victims in camps
16 October 2018
Migrants and Refugees
More than a year into the crisis in Cox’s Bazar, the number of Rohingya refugees has reached nearly one million, with young girls in Bangladesh refugee camps sold into forced labour accounting for the largest group of trafficking victims, reported the UN Migration Agency (IOM)on Tuesday.
UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferre
Top UN rights official urges transparent probe into Khashoggi disappearance
16 October 2018
Human Rights
The top United Nations human rights official has called on Saudi Arabia and Turkey to “reveal everything they know” about the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi.
© UNICEF/UN0235950/Nybo
World Health Organization calls crisis meeting over deadly Ebola outbreak in DR Congo
15 October 2018
Health
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has called an Emergency Committee meeting on the Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which has already claimed around 130 lives.
UNDP Rwanda/Alice Kayibanda
Investing in rural women and girls, ‘essential’ for everyone’s future: UN chief
15 October 2018
Women
Marking International Day of Rural Women, on Monday, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called on countries to ensure that women and girls living in rural areas can enioy their human rights as this would enable making “progress for all”.
World Bank/Mariana Ceratti
Overseas investment falling, developing countries largely unscathed: UN trade agency
15 October 2018
Economic Development
Foreign direct investment (FDI) has dropped 40 per cent year-on-year so far, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said on Monday, but the $470 million decline is happening mainly in wealthy, industrialized nations, especially in North America and Western Europe.
Audio - 10'40" Playlist
©FAO/Tamiru Legesse
Benefits of rural migration effect often overlooked, new UN report suggests
15 October 2018
Economic Development
Agricultural policies should work to maximize the contributions of rural migration to economic and social development, while minimizing the costs, says a major new report released on Monday by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Audio - 8' Playlist
UN Photo/Manuel Elias
Human Rights Council election: 5 things you need to know about it
15 October 2018
Human Rights
The United Nations General Assembly held secret-ballot elections for the Human Rights Council (HRC) on Friday. As of 1 January next year, the 18 newly-elected States will serve for three years on the UN’s highest inter-governmental body, mandated to protect and promote human rights worldwide.
OCHA/Giles Clarke
UN relief official in Yemen condemns ‘horrific’ attack on passenger buses
14 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
Condemning an attack on passenger buses in Yemen’s Hudaydah governorate, the top United Nations humanitarian official in the country has called on warring parties “to do everything possible” to protect civilians.
OCHA/Cecilia Attefors
Violence will not deter Somali people in their pursuit of peace, says UN chief, in wake of lethal attacks
14 October 2018
Peace and Security
Strongly condemning twin suicide attacks in Baidoa, southwestern Somalia, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has reiterated the Organization’s support and solidarity with the country’s people and Government.
UN Photo/Violaine Martin (file)
UN chief condemns deadly attacks in Afghanistan
14 October 2018
Peace and Security
Denouncing lethal attacks targeting electoral activities in Afghanistan as the country prepares to go to polls later this week, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called on all parties to ensure a peaceful and orderly elections.
Photo via WMBD
On their epic journeys, migratory birds connect nations and inspire people, UN says on World Day
13 October 2018
Culture and Education
Highlighting the challenges migratory birds face in their epic journeys, senior United Nations officials have called on the global community to join forces and “unify voices for bird conservation.”
UNICEF/Wilander
Improve collection of data on disasters, Secretary-General Guterres urges on International Day
13 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
Highlighting the steep human and economic impact of disasters, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called on countries to improve data collection on the catastrophes, including comprehensive accounting of economic losses, to advance progress on crisis prevention.
OCHA EFE/Rolando Pujol
With rapid, far-reaching changes, world can prevent climate change worst-case scenarios – UN chief
13 October 2018
Climate Change
Checking global warming and preventing some of the worst-case scenarios of runaway climate change “is still possible,” the United Nations Secretary-General said on Saturday, urging greater action and ambitions.
Grant Ellis/World Bank
In Bali, UN chief Guterres outlines importance of international financial cooperation for sustainable development
13 October 2018
SDGs
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for a surge in investment, long-term financing and global stability to overcome the obstacles to inclusive, resilient and environmentally sustainable global growth.
UN Photo/Manuel Elias
Human Rights Council election: 5 things you need to know about it
12 October 2018
Human Rights
The United Nations General Assembly held secret-ballot elections for the Human Rights Council (HRC) on Friday. As of 1 January next year, the 18 newly-elected States will serve for three years on the UN’s highest inter-governmental body, mandated to protect and promote human rights worldwide.
UN Photo/Loey Felipe
Continuing incarceration of women’s rights activists in Saudi Arabia, ‘reprehensible’: UN experts
12 October 2018
Women
UN human rights experts are urging Saudi Arabia to “immediately and unconditionally” release all women human rights defenders, including six imprisoned on charges relating to their peaceful defence of human rights.
OCHA/Yasmina Guerda
UN welcomes ‘milestone’ release of 833 Nigerian children from anti-Boko Haram force
12 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
The United Nations welcomed on Friday as an “important milestone” the release in Nigeria of 833 children by the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF); a group formed in 2013 to protect communities and support the country’s security forces against Boko Haram extremists.
© UNICEF/Josh Estey
UN chief praises Malaysia’s death penalty repeal as ‘major step forward’
12 October 2018
Human Rights
Malaysia has announced that it plans to abolish executions, a move hailed by United Nations chief António Guterres on Thursday, as a “major step forward.”
UNHCR/N. Wright
Australia urged to evacuate offshore detainees amid widespread, acute mental distress
12 October 2018
Migrants and Refugees
Australia should end its offshore processing policy on the Pacific islands of Nauru and Papua New Guinea amid reports of widespread, acute mental distress and attempted suicide by children and young adults, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday.
Audio - 4'49" Playlist
OCHA/Anthony Burke
At epicentre of Indonesia disaster, Guterres praises resilience of Sulawesi people
12 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
Standing amidst the wreckage of Balaroa, one of the worst hit areas of Palu, Indonesia, on Friday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said it was “impossible not to feel heart-broken” at the destruction caused by the huge earthquake and tsunami that struck the island of Sulawesi two weeks ago.
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MONUSCO
DR Congo: Electoral process advancing despite threat of armed groups, UN envoy tells Security Council
11 October 2018
Peace and Security
December elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remain on course, but still face “major challenges”, including violence from armed groups in the country’s east, the top United Nations official in the country said on Thursday.
MINUSMA
Mali not fulfilling its ‘sovereign role’ in protecting its people: UN human rights expert
11 October 2018
Human Rights
In an effort to better protect people and their property throughout Mali, the international community must honour commitments to help reduce violent extremism, chronic insecurity and ineffective government, said the United Nations expert on human rights in the country, Alioune Tine, on Thursday.
UNICEF/UN0240792/Wilander
Do all you can to resolve climate change ‘sticking points’ UN chief urges South-East Asian leaders, in Bali
11 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, has called for Governments across South-East Asia, to take a lead in the fight against global warming and the damaging impact of climate change.
OCHA/Muath Algabal
Saudi Arabia must halt air strikes in Yemen, says UN panel
11 October 2018
Peace and Security
The conflict in Yemen has been highlighted by a UN human rights committee which on Thursday urged Saudi Arabia to “put an end to the air strikes” against its southern neighbour, amid reports that they have resulted in the deaths of at least 1,248 children since March 2015.
UNDAC/Pierre Trouche
Nigeria floods: Guterres ‘deeply saddened’ by loss of life and rising need
11 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Thursday he is “deeply saddened”, as the Government of Nigeria announced that some 200 people have died, and a further 1,310 injured, due to flooding across a dozen states. Overall, around two million have been affected.
FAO/Andrew Esiebo
Algeria must stop arbitrary expulsion of West African migrants in desert: UN migration rights expert
11 October 2018
Migrants and Refugees
Atrocities suffered by child and adult migrants from West African States “should shock the conscience of humanity” into action, a UN rights investigator said on Thursday, before calling for Algeria to halt the collective expulsion of thousands of foreign nationals to Niger.
UNICEF/Mackenzie
‘Concerted effort’ must be made to help 600 million-plus adolescent girls realize full potential
11 October 2018
Women
There are “multiple barriers” including “systemic discrimination” bias and lack of training, which are keeping the largest generation of girls in human history from reaching their full potential, said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a statement on Thursday, marking International Day of the Girl Child.
Audio - 8'38" Playlist
Scott Kelly/NASA
Backed by UN, Asia-Pacific countries to advance space technology for ‘development transformation’
10 October 2018
SDGs
Gathered at a United Nations conference in Bangkok, countries from the Asia-Pacific region pledged to work together on Wednesday to leverage the power of space technology and boost sustainable development.
UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferre
UN resolution paves way for mass use of driverless cars
10 October 2018
Economic Development
A resolution to ensure the safe use of automated vehicles was passed at the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Global Forum on Road Traffic Safety in Geneva, on Wednesday.
UN Mission in Colombia
Reintegrating former rebels into civilian life a ‘serious concern’ in Colombia: UN Mission chief
10 October 2018
Peace and Security
The reintegration of former members of the Colombian FARC-EP rebel movement, which signed an historic peace deal with the country’s government in 2016, remains a subject of serious concern, said the head of the UN Verification Mission set up to monitor the deal, on Wednesday.
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OCHA/Charlotte Cans
Charges against Baha’i in Yemen must be dropped: UN experts urge release of detainees
10 October 2018
Human Rights
A group of UN independent human rights experts have called for the immediate release of 24 people, mostly from Baha’i minority, who have been held by authorities in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, since the middle of last month.
UNMISS/Isaac Billy
FROM THE FIELD: One South Sudanese woman’s harrowing escape to UN camp
10 October 2018
Human Rights
A South Sudanese woman has been telling a high-level delegation of officials from the African Union and United Nations how she walked for five days and nights to find sanctuary in a UN protection site, from violent clashes.
UNAMA/Fraidoon Poya
Afghanistan: Civilians continue to die in record numbers, new UN report shows
10 October 2018
Peace and Security
The conflict in Afghanistan continues to exact a terrible toll on civilians, with the highest number of fatalities recorded for the first nine months of this year, since 2014, a United Nations report has revealed.
© UNICEF/Roger LeMoyne
‘Put an end to the death penalty now’, urges Guterres, marking World Day
10 October 2018
Human Rights
Progress made toward eliminating the death penalty has been “marred by setbacks,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in a statement on Wednesday, marking the 16th World Day Against the Death Penalty.
© UNICEF/Arimacs Wilander
Disasters: UN report shows climate change causing ‘dramatic rise’ in economic losses
10 October 2018
Climate Change
Climate-related and geophysical disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis have killed 1.3 million people over the last 20 years and left a further 4.4 billion injured, homeless or in need of emergency assistance, UN experts said on Wednesday.
WHO Yemen
Start nurturing your mental health ‘at an early age’ urges UN chief
10 October 2018
Health
Worldwide, it is estimated that one in five adolescents experience mental health challenges, though most remain underdiagnosed and undertreated. Marking Mental Health Day on Wednesday, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) is focusing on the psychological well-being of young people aged 10 to 14, to stave off conditions that can impact their lives deep into adulthood.
Audio - 11'14" Playlist
© UNHCR/Fabio Cuttica
UN refugee agency ramps up support for Venezuelans, praises ‘extraordinary solidarity’ of Colombia
9 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
With the help of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), Colombia is showing “extraordinary solidarity” towards Venezuelans displaced amid the country’s on-going economic and political crisis, said agency chief, Filippo Grandi on Tuesday.
Audio - 6'10" Playlist
UNHCR/Anthony Karumba
Consequences of severe global funding shortages for refugees and migrants ‘all too real’, warns UNHCR
9 October 2018
Migrants and Refugees
Efforts to assist the tens of millions who’ve been forced from their homes are being increasingly constrained by severely limited funds, a new report from the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has warned, urging greater international attention and support.
WFP/Gabriela Vivacqua
First South Sudan river convoy in five years, delivers UN aid to remote areas
9 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
For the first time since civil war erupted in South Sudan in 2013, a United Nations food convoy has managed to deliver thousands of tonnes of aid by river, to people in seven hard-to-reach locations, saving millions of dollars on costly aid flights.
© UNICEF/Arimacs Wilander
Indonesia earthquake: death toll rises beyond 2,000, UN targets nearly 200,000, supporting Government-led response
9 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
Following the series of devastating earthquakes, tsunami and landslides on 28 September in Indonesia, the death toll has risen to 2,010, with around 10,700 seriously injured and nearly 700 still reported missing, according to United Nations agencies on Tuesday.
LATEST NEWS
UNICEF/Rajat Madhok
Venezuela prisons ‘beyond monstrous’, UN warns, highlighting plight of Colombian detainees
9 October 2018
Human Rights
Conditions in Venezuela’s prisons are “beyond monstrous”, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Tuesday, before calling for an independent and transparent investigation into the death of a leading political opponent of the Government.
Public Domain
Killing and rape of Bulgarian investigative reporter is an ‘outrage’ - UNESCO chief
9 October 2018
Culture and Education
The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), has condemned the “brutal” killing of investigative reporter Victoria Marinova, whose body was found on Saturday in the Bulgarian city of Ruse, bearing signs of suffocation and sexual assault.
UN Photo/Rick Bajornas
Independent inquiry needed into suspected ‘enforced disappearance’ of Saudi journalist: UN rights office
9 October 2018
Human Rights
The “apparent enforced disappearance” of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi who was last seen reportedly visiting his country’s consulate in Istanbul last week, requires a full investigation involving both Turkey and Saudi Arabia, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Tuesday.
WFP/Silke Buhr
Critical food programmes in North Korea can’t wait for ‘diplomatic progress’, UN food agency warns
9 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
North Korea’s humanitarian situation remains dire, with widespread chronic food insecurity and malnutrition, the United Nations emergency food relief agency has warned, urging greater and sustained funding for its aid operations there.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
UN recognizes postal service as ‘a true partner for all’ delivering good to the world
8 October 2018
SDGs
Marking World Post Day, top United Nations officials highlighted the importance of the postal sector not just for delivering mail but also “delivering good to the world”.
© UNICEF/Anush Babajanyan VII Photo
Bullying: Protection for children is a ‘fundamental human right’ says top UN advocate
8 October 2018
Human Rights
Around 130 million, or one-in-three children worldwide, experience some form of bullying, the United Nations stated on Monday, in its latest report on how children can be better-protected. This form of violence has long-lasting and direct consequences for their health, school performance and overall well-being.
MINUSMA/Marco Dormino
With boundaries blurring between crime and terror, international cooperation’s vital, UN highlights
8 October 2018
Peace and Security
The constantly-evolving ‘nexus’ between crime and terrorism, ranging from simple deals to complex symbiotic relationships, demands greater understanding to break the illicit flow of black-market cash across borders, a United Nations meeting heard on Monday.
©FAO/Veejay Villafranca
Cutting-edge tech a ‘double-edged sword for developing countries’: UN report
8 October 2018
Economic Development
The latest technological advances, from artificial intelligence to electric cars, can be a “double-edged sword”, says the latest UN World Economic and Social Survey (WESS 2018), released on Monday.
Audio - 12'4" Playlist
UN Environment/Hannah McNeish
FROM THE FIELD: Comoros farmers battle climate change
8 October 2018
Economic Development
Farmers in the Comoros islands are learning, with the support of the UN, to adapt to dramatic shifts in the climate which have contributed to the deterioration of agriculture across the Indian Ocean archipelago.
UN Photo: Isaac Billy
‘Stronger’ effort must be made to cement peace deal for South Sudanese women and girls: UN Women chief
8 October 2018
Women
Putting the latest peace deal into real effect across South Sudan, must include addressing “in a stronger manner, the challenges facing women and girls”, said the UN’s leading voice for gender-equality, who is part of a joint United Nations-African Union delegation to the country this week.
NASA
Global warming report, an 'ear-splitting wake-up call' warns UN chief
8 October 2018
Climate Change
A special report on limiting global warming released on Monday by a UN scientific panel, should be heard around the world as an "ear-splitting wake-up call" said UN chief António Guterres. He said the long-awaited findings show that "climate change is running faster than we are - and we are running out of time."
Audio - 4'39" Playlist
OCHA/Eve Sabbagh
In Chad, top UN officials say humanitarian response must go ‘hand in hand’ with longer-term recovery
7 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
Senior United Nations officials on Sunday called for stronger joint humanitarian and development interventions in Chad as the crisis-riven central African country as it tackles poverty, displacement, malnutrition, and lack of access to basic social services.
UNAMA/Fardin Waezi
Afghanistan: Civilian casualties caused by IEDs has reached ‘extreme levels’, UN warns
7 October 2018
Peace and Security
The United Nations on Sunday called on anti-Government elements in Afghanistan to immediately stop using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in civilian areas, after the UN mission in the country recorded a sharp rise in civilian casualties caused by the explosives this year.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
UN ‘stands ready’ to support Haiti after earthquake hits northern coast – Guterres
7 October 2018
UN Affairs
In the wake of the 5.9 magnitude earthquake that struck north-west Haiti overnight, Secretary-General António Guterres on Sunday extended condolence to the island nations’ people and Government, and said the United Nations stands ready to help with the response.
MONUSCO/Michael Ali
In DR Congo, UN Security Council says December polls are ‘historic opportunity’ for country
6 October 2018
Peace and Security
The United Nations Security Council is on a visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where on Saturday the body’s 15 members pledged to support the process in the run-up to long-delayed elections, set for late December, and called for the polls to be credible and peaceful.
OCHA/Eve Sabbagh
Nigeria: Top UN officials say more support needed to ease humanitarian crisis and rebuild lives in conflict-ravaged north-east
6 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
The top United Nations relief and development officials on Saturday called for national and international partners to step up support for humanitarian efforts in north-eastern Nigeria and help millions of people rebuild their lives in the region that has been ravaged by Boko Haram’s near decade-long insurgency.
UNICEF/Brown
Concern rising over fate of Rohingya refugees sent home by India: UNHCR
5 October 2018
Migrants and Refugees
The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has 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.
ILO/M. Creuset
Execution of juvenile offender in Iran ‘deeply distressing’ – UN rights chief
5 October 2018
Human Rights
Denouncing the execution of a juvenile offender in Iran, whose trial was also reportedly marred by irregularities, the top United Nations human rights official has called on the country to end the use of the death penalty for those under-18, in line with its obligations under international law.
UNICEF/UN0240340/Wilander
Access still an obstacle to reaching stricken communities on Indonesian island: UN agencies
5 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
Aid is getting through to victims of last Friday’s deadly earthquake and tsunami, which struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, but stricken communities are still in dire need, UN aid agencies said on Friday.
UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferre
Idea of ‘homogenous’ Polish culture is a myth: UN human rights expert
5 October 2018
Human Rights
An independent UN rights expert has accused the Polish Government of disseminating the “myth” of a “homogenous” Polish culture, in a statement released on Friday.
UN Photo/Manuel Elias
Nobel Peace Prize goes to UN Goodwill Ambassador and Congolese doctor, highlighting sexual violence
5 October 2018
Women
Nadia Murad, a Yazidi rights activist and the first Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and Denis Mukwege, a gynecologist who helps victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), were awarded the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.
UN Photo/Mark Garten
UN chief urges peaceful, free and fair elections in Cameroon
4 October 2018
Peace and Security
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for a peaceful, credible and inclusive elections in Cameroon, as the country prepares to hold presidential elections this coming Sunday.
© UNICEF/Aaref Watad
Syria: UN Humanitarian Coordinator calls for unimpeded access from within the country
4 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
Highlighting the “complexities of the situation in Syria” with close to 13 million people in need of life-saving assistance, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in the country called on warring parties to allow access to all areas from within the country, so aid can reach those in need “fast and efficiently”.
Scott Kelly/NASA
Marking World Space Week, UN stresses power of space to ‘unite the world’
4 October 2018
SDGs
Highlighting the importance of space and its applications for humankind, the United Nations is celebrating World Space Week 2018 with a focus on the role the cosmos plays in bringing people together, back on earth.
WHO/Chima Onuekwe
Nigeria inundated by floods; UN steps up disease prevention efforts
4 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
With over 826,000 people affected by heavy flooding affecting most of Nigeria, humanitarian agencies continue to step up efforts to provide life-saving assistance, especially basic medical care, which is essential to prevent disastrous epidemics.
OPCW
Dutch authorities brief world chemical weapons watchdog on alleged Russian cyber attack
4 October 2018
Peace and Security
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs briefed the Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on Thursday, over allegations that a cyber attack was being plotted in April, against the headquarters of the OPCW, orchestrated by Russia.
WHO
UN-led tobacco control advocates denounce ‘increasingly vicious’ industry interference
4 October 2018
Health
Tobacco giants are adopting new ways and “disguises” to push their products, noxious both for people and the environment, and interfere with government efforts to regulate the sale and use of tobacco, the head of the Secretariat of the WHO FCTC, the United Nations-led tobacco control treaty, has told UN News.
UNHCR/Eugene Sibomana
'Endless volley of assaults’ aimed at refugees: protection chief calls for ‘humane dialogue’
4 October 2018
Migrants and Refugees
“Noise, chatter, shrillness, lack of civility, and harsh language,” surround the public debate over refugees, who face a “seemingly endless volley of assaults,” said the UN refugee agency’s (UNHCR) Assistant High Commissioner for Protection on Thursday.
UNDP/Noeman Al-Sayyad
Tunisia ‘at a turning point’ stresses UN rights expert
4 October 2018
Human Rights
An independent UN human rights expert welcomed on Thursday the progress made towards democratic reform in Tunisia, since the 2011 revolution, and emphasized the importance of protecting freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
UN Photo/Deepak Malik
Bet on ‘green economy’, Guterres urges world leaders, bestowing top UN award on Indian PM3 October 2018SDGs
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday conferred the Organization’s highest environmental honour on India’s Prime Minister, recognizing Narendra Modi’s efforts against climate change and pollution.
© UNICEF/Pirozzi
Child sexual abuse and exploitation: UN event sheds light on the unthinkable3 October 2018Human Rights
Governments can and must do more to end the daily sexual abuse and exploitation of girls and boys worldwide, an event at UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday highlighted, including through a newly launched tool designed to help countries track progress and gaps.
Audio - 4'22" Playlist
Photo/ICJ/Jeroen Bouman
Top UN judicial body orders US to ease Iran sanctions3 October 2018Peace and Security
In a ruling issued on Wednesday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, ordered the United States to lift some of the economic sanctions it has imposed on Iran, which effect the importation of humanitarian goods and products, as well as the safety of civilian aircraft.
UNAMI
In Iraq, UN welcomes new President, and Prime Minister-designate, calls for ‘truly representative’ new cabinet3 October 2018Peace and Security
The United Nations Special Representative for Iraq, Ján Kubiš, on Wednesday, welcomed the designation of a new Prime Minister, Adel Abdel-Mahdi, and urged political leaders to promote women’s meaningful representation in politics.
UNZimbabwe/2018
WHO supports Zimbabwe with 1.4 million vaccinations to beat cholera outbreak3 October 2018Health
The World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting Zimbabwe’s efforts to begin vaccinating 1.4 million people against a new deadly outbreak of cholera, beginning on Wednesday, after the water-borne disease first surfaced in a suburb of the capital Harare early last month.
IMO
Trade wars and protectionism threaten global shipping, warns UN agency3 October 2018Economic Development
Maritime trade is stronger than it’s been for five years, but “tit-for-tat” tariff battles and restructuring by shipping companies threaten to disrupt its role as a key player in global commerce, the UN said on Wednesday.
World Bank/Bamidele Emmanuel Oladokun
UN agencies inject youthful energy into sustainable development for urban Africa2 October 2018SDGs
Underscoring the importance of fully involving the young in decisions affecting their lives, three United Nations agencies announced an innovative partnership on Tuesday with African local governments, designed to inject youthful ideas and energy into urban planning policies.
UNAMA
Afghanistan: UN ‘outraged’ by new elections-related suicide attack2 October 2018Peace and Security
Denouncing attacks and intimidation in the week since formal campaigning began for Afghanistan’s parliamentary elections next month, the United Nations voiced outrage on Tuesday at the death of 14 civilians, killed by a suicide bomber at a campaign rally. A further 42 were wounded.
UN India/Vishal Singh
UN chief commends India’s progress towards Sustainable Development Goals2 October 2018SDGs
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday praised India’s progress on implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular the pursuit of Sanitation for All and Affordable and Clean Energy, which featured heavily during day-two of his official visit to the country.
UNICEF/Sadeq Al-Wesabi
Yemen: as cholera surges again, UN and partners double down on vaccination efforts2 October 2018Humanitarian Aid
Following an “important increase” in the number of suspected cholera cases recently in Yemen, a new vaccination campaign is underway in coordination with the government to prevent a third major outbreak, said the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday.
IAEA/Dean Calma
Independence of agency 'paramount', stresses UN nuclear chief in apparent response to Israel's claim of secret Iran site2 October 2018
Peace and Security
After a direct challenge from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to personally and immediately visit what he called a secret atomic warehouse in Iran, the United Nations nuclear energy chief on Tuesday reaffirmed that his agency has conducted all necessary additional visits.
© UNICEF/Arimacs Wilander
‘Full impact’ of Indonesia disaster unclear, as UN teams push into worst-hit areas2 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
Four days after a deadly earthquake and tsunami hit the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, UN agencies and partners have warned that some communities have yet to be reached and the death toll may rise, as the scale of the destruction unfolds
Ahmed Dalloul/IRIN
UN expert denounces killing of more Palestinian protesters, as ‘affront to human rights’2 October 2018
Human Rights
As protests continue at the Gaza border fence against Israeli policies, so does the killing and wounding of Palestinian protesters, including children, by the Israeli security forces, said a UN independent human rights expert on Tuesday. With the death toll rising, the UN Special Rapporteur who monitors the human rights situation in the Palestinian territory, denounced the violence as an “ongoing affront to human rights and human dignity”.
Giles Clarke
UN chief marks Non-Violence Day, urging world to follow Gandhi’s example; ‘the greatest soul that ever lived’2 October 2018
Peace and Security
On Tuesday, as part of his official visit to India this week, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres laid a wreath in honour of Mahatma Gandhi, at the Raj Ghat Memorial, in New Delhi. Describing him as “the greatest soul that ever lived”, the UN chief said that Gandhi’s example “demonstrates that the way to reach objectives, is through non-violence.”
UN Photo/Cia Pak
Work together, act on promises made collectively, Sweden urges at UN Assembly1 October 2018
UN Affairs
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, the Swedish head of delegation underscored the importance of international cooperation and called on world leaders to work together to deliver on the promise of peace and prosperity for everyone everywhere.
UN Photo/Cia Pak
UN Assembly wraps up annual general debate, its global multilateral role reaffirmed; now comes the task of reform1 October 2018
UN Affairs
In the end, after all was said and done in the marathon of speeches from Heads of State and Government at the General Assembly’s seventy-third annual general debate, it all came down to one thing – the centrality of a strengthened United Nations as the only global forum that can address the multiple challenges facing the world, from conflict resolution to climate change mitigation and sustainable development.
Courtesy of James Waikibia
Curb throw-away culture, says UN-Habitat chief, highlighting world day1 October 2018
SDGs
Marking World Habitat Day on Monday, UN-Habitat – the agency mandated with promoting sustainable cities – has called for greater imagination and innovation in tackling the world’s waste management challenges, in particular at the municipal level.
UN Photo/Cia Pak
‘We must work together like never before’ to realize sustainable development, says Canada at UN1 October 2018
SDGs
The international community must work together in new ways, to bring the aspirations of the ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to life, Canada’s head of delegation declared at the United Nations General Assembly.
UN in India/Ishan Tankha
UN chief inaugurates new UN headquarters in Indian capital, as official visit gets underway1 October 2018
UN Affairs
The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, took part on Monday in the opening ceremony of the Organization’s newly-refurbished headquarters for its multi-agency operations, known as UN House, in the Indian capital, New Delhi.
UN Photo/Cia Pak
Timor-Leste exemplifies continued UN help in settling sea dispute with Australia, General Assembly told1 October 2018
Economic Development
TImor-Leste, a country which the United Nations shepherded to independence from Indonesia 16 years ago, is a prime example of what the world Organization can do in resolving international conflicts and disputes, Delegation Chair Maria Helena Pires told the General Assembly on Monday
UN Photo/Mark Garten
UN chief urges all sides in former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to proceed with name change ‘through country’s institutions’1 October 2018
Peace and Security
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged all political forces in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to implement plans to undergo a formal name change, following a consultative referendum on Sunday, through the country’s institutions.
UN Photo/John Isaac
Rights of older people celebrated, as historic UN Declaration turns 70
1 October 2018
Human Rights
The UN International Day of Older Persons, celebrated each 1 October, promotes the human rights of older people worldwide and, this year, celebrates the continued importance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), as it turns 70.
UNHCR/Will Swanson
‘Selfless’ South Sudanese surgeon, who’s saved thousands of lives over 20 years, ‘humbled’ to receive top UN award
1 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
For 20 years, Doctor Evan Atar Adaha has been providing medical services to the conflict-affected people of Sudan and South Sudan and, on Monday, he received the 2018 Nansen Refugee Award, a prestigious prize given annually by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) to honour the women and men who work tirelessly to provide life-saving help to people caught in humanitarian crises.
Audio - 6'38" Playlist
© UNICEF/Tirto.id/@Arimacswilander
UN system mobilizing to support Indonesia, following earthquake and tsunami disaster
1 October 2018
Humanitarian Aid
Rescue workers are still trying to reach areas of Sulawesi in Indonesia affected by an earthquake and tsunami, UN humanitarians said on Monday, noting that more than 840 people have died and more than 600 have been severely injured in the disaster.
UN Photo/Cia Pak
‘The world we have received also belongs to those who will follow us,’ Holy See tells UN Assembly
1 October 2018
Climate Change
The quality of a civilization, depends on how it treats the weak, the indigent, the elderly, the persons with disability, and by the place it gives them in community life, the representative of the Holy See told the United Nations General Assembly on Monday, urging everyone to value all human life and human dignity.
UN Photo/Cia Pak
At UN, Nicaraguan Foreign Minister calls for ‘commitment to continue fighting for peace’ amid threats to sustainable development
1 October 2018
SDGs
While the world was in the midst of a crisis largely sparked by interventionism and “savage capitalism”, Nicaragua continued to bolster peace, strengthen security, “and…promote and defend human rights,” Minister for Foreign Affairs Denis Moncada Colindres told the United Nations General Assembly on Monday, underscoring his country’s commitment to the UN Charter.
UN Photo/Cia Pak
Thailand endorses Secretary-General’s call to make UN more effective, Minister tells General Assembly
1 October 2018
UN Affairs
The United Nations needs to adapt to meet the challenges facing the world, Thailand’s Deputy Foreign Minister Virasakdi Futrakul told the General Assembly on Monday, endorsing Secretary General António Guterres’s efforts to make the Organization more effective.
World Bank/Aisha Faquir
Tobacco control measures are working, but too slowly in less-developed countries: WHO
1 October 2018
Health
“Great progress” has been made in tackling tobacco consumption and saving lives but more needs to be done to challenge the industry’s attempts to “bypass” international regulations, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.
ESA/NASA–A. Gerst
Scientists from UN-run climate change panel to present key global warming report for world leaders
1 October 2018
Climate Change
Scientists from the United Nations-run Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and representatives from its 195 member governments, are meeting in South Korea, to reach agreement over a key summary for policymakers into the impact of a 1.5 degree Celsius increase in global warming, above pre-industrial levels.
UN Photo/Cia Pak
Global Goals promise to ‘leave no one behind’ is key for middle-income countries, Belarusian minister tells UN Assembly
1 October 2018
SDGs
In spite of the criticism levelled against the United Nations, there is no other such platform for cooperation or a multilateral mechanism based on “equal and respectful attitude towards each and every country and their needs,” the foreign minister of Belarus told the General Assembly.
