News

Our news page provides you with a round up of UN news related to economic development, humanitarian aid, climate change, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). You will find the summary of news articles together with a link to the news source.

News
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Sustainable fishing staying afloat in developed world, sinking in poorer regions

18 Nov 2019

More people than ever rely on fisheries and aquaculture for food, and income, but the seafood industry is facing a “dangerous” sustainability divide when comparing trends in the developed world versus those in poorer regions, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) revealed on Monday.  

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One-third of Afghans need urgent humanitarian aid, millions suffer ‘acute food insecurity’

18 Nov 2019

Over the last three months (August to October 2019), around one-third of the Afghan population required urgent humanitarian action, according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Alert, released on Monday, which declares that some 10.23 million people are living in a state of “severe acute food insecurity”.

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UN, African Union make significant joint commitment to global health

18 Nov 2019

In the drive towards universal health coverage, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the African Union (AU) Commission cemented their mutual commitment to global health by signing on Monday an historic agreement.

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‘Transformational benefits’ of ending outdoor defecation: Why toilets matter

18 Nov 2019

Ending the practice of defecating in the open, rather than in a toilet, will have “transformational benefits” for some of the world’s most vulnerable people, says the UN’s partner sanitation body, the WSSCC (Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council). 

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UN calls for action to tackle ‘ubiquitous but invisible’ global road safety crisis

17 Nov 2019

Saving lives by improving road safety is “one of the many objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, the United Nations chief said in his message for the global day set aside for remembering the victims of traffic accidents.

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UN agency sounds alarm: Dwindling agrobiodiversity ‘severe threat’ to food security

14 Nov 2019

To help ensure the most-consumed foods don’t disappear in the face of the climate crisis, farmers must cultivate crops able to resist environmental shocks and other stresses, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) highlighted in a new set of conservation guidelines published on Thursday.

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Revealed: danger and squalor for cleaners who remove human waste by hand

13 Nov 2019

The plight of sanitation workers in the developing world should be addressed urgently, the UN said on Thursday, warning that their rights, health and dignity are at risk.

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Over $39 million earmarked by UN-backed fund to combat effects of climate change in Nepal

13 Nov 2019

More than $39 million in funding was approved on Wednesday for a project that will build resilience and mitigate the effects of climate change, benefitting nearly one million Nepalis, according to the Board of the UN-backed Green Climate Fund (GCF).

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In Bahrain, Global Forum for Entrepreneurs and Investment examines empowerment of women, youth through innovation

12 Nov 2019

Spotlighting the role of targeted investment and innovation towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with special focus on ‘Harnessing the Potential of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the Digital Economy,’ the World Entrepreneurs Investment Forum kicked off on Tuesday in the Bahraini capital, Manama.

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Australia wildfires: communities must stay vigilant, urges UN weather agency

12 Nov 2019

As Australia’s “catastrophic” and deadly wildfire emergency continues, UN weather experts on Tuesday echoed Government warnings for people to remain vigilant in the face of the fast-moving threat and tinderbox conditions.

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Multilateralism must weather ‘challenges of today and tomorrow’ Guterres tells Paris Peace Forum

11 Nov 2019

In a speech to the Paris Peace Forum in Paris on Monday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that to thrive, multilateralism had to adapt, mindful that “conflicts persist, creating suffering and displacement: our world is unsettled”.  He was speaking as commemorations took place in countries across the world, marking the official end of the First World War, in 1918.

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New UN forestry project bids to help countries meet climate change commitments

11 Nov 2019

More than two dozen countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America are set to benefit from a UN project to help tackle climate change through better forestry management.

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Hundreds of thousands of civilians at risk in Syria amid ongoing violence in northeast and northwest

08 Nov 2019

Almost daily violence targeting built-up areas and health facilities in Syria continues to threaten the lives of civilians there, UN rights experts and humanitarians said on Friday.

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Progress toward sustainable development is seriously off-track

07 Nov 2019

The UN Secretary-General is calling on business leaders to use their “enormous influence” to push for inclusive growth and opportunities that benefit all people and the planet.

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Cuba: UN Members overwhelmingly support end of US embargo, as Brazil backs Washington

07 Nov 2019

For the 28th consecutive year, the UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution calling for an end to the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States against Cuba.

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‘Everyone needs to do more’ to help suffering Venezuelans, says UN Emergency Relief Coordinator

06 Nov 2019

“Ordinary women, men and children face overwhelming challenges” just to survive in Venezuela today, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock said on Wednesday in the capital, Caracas.

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Step up action to protect the planet during wartime: UN environment chief

06 Nov 2019

Greater action is needed to protect the environment during wartime if the world is to realize the goal of a more sustainable future for all people and the planet, the head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) warned on Wednesday.

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Tuesday’s Daily Brief: Cameroon crisis deepens, Tsunami Awareness Day, online gender gap, Somalia floods leave children vulnerable

05 Nov 2019

A recap of Tuesday’s top stories: Humanitarian needs in Cameroon up 15-fold from 2017; UN risk reduction chief calls for more resilient cities; Somalia’s floods put 200,000 children at risk; Internet use study reveals growing gender gap; UN partners spotlight youth mental health. 

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US-China trade war is a ‘lose-lose’ situation for them and the world, warn UN economists

05 Nov 2019

The trade tariff spat between China and the United States has been a “lose-lose” situation for both countries and the wider world and it is likely to deteriorate unless a deal is reached, UN economists said on Tuesday.

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Natural hazards don’t always spell disaster: UN risk reduction chief

05 Nov 2019

Tsunamis are rare, but when they strike, they are the deadliest and most costly of natural hazards. With half of the world’s population expected to live in coastal areas more prone to tsunamis by 2030, investing in early warning systems and resilient infrastructure, will be vital to saving lives and economies, said the top UN official on disaster risks on Tuesday.

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Nearly two million Cameroonians face humanitarian emergency: UNICEF

05 Nov 2019

Ongoing violence in Cameroon’s northwest and southwest has created a fast-growing humanitarian emergency now affecting some 1.9 million people, a “15-fold increase since 2017”, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.

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Ebola emergency chief decries new attacks on frontline staff, after DR Congo worker death

04 Nov 2019

Security measures for staff helping to fight health emergencies need to be stepped up urgently, a UN health agency top official said on Monday, after a frontline Ebola epidemic community worker was reportedly stabbed to death at his home in northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

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Microplastics, microbeads and single-use plastics poisoning sea life and affecting humans

04 Nov 2019

Each year, an estimated eight million tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean – equivalent to a full garbage truck dumped into the sea every minute - the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has said.

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Far more needed to ‘confront the world’s climate emergency’, Guterres tells ASEAN-UN Summit 

03 Nov 2019

Four of the 10 countries most affected by climate change are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Sunday, urging the ASEAN-UN Summit in Bangkok to “confront the world’s climate emergency”.

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Coal addiction ‘must be overcome’ to ease climate change, UN chief says in Bangkok

02 Nov 2019

In Thailand for the ASEAN Summit, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres visited a climate mitigation project in Bangkok's new Centenary Park on Saturday where he told journalists that “coal addiction must be overcome”.

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Friday's Daily Brief: When journalists are targets, landslides in Cameroon, UN Female Police Officer of the Year award

01 Nov 2019

A recap of stories in brief this Friday: Societies 'pay a price' when journalists are killed; Guterres saddened by Cameroon landslide deaths; Senegalese woman officer receives top UN award; IOM urges release of volunteers held captive in South Sudan; 'All actors' must support Haiti amidst crisis; UN expert warning over health of Julian Assange.

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UN migration agency appeals to South Sudan group to free volunteer worker and child

01 Nov 2019

The UN migration agency appealed on Friday for the immediate liberation of a volunteer and child who’ve been missing since a gun battle in South Sudan at the weekend that claimed the lives of three agency workers.

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Climate experts pledge to scale up high-altitude fight against mountain melt

31 Oct 2019

The UN’s weather watchdog and partners committed on Thursday to a new initiative to ramp up observation and prediction technology that will help address the challenges of climate change, melting snow and ice, and water-related hazards.

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From ‘strength to strength’ UN-African Union security partnership growing, Security Council hears

30 Oct 2019

The Security Council highlighted the growing partnership on matters of peace and security between the United Nations and African Union (AU) on Wednesday amidst calls to bolster overall effectiveness.

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Wednesday’s Daily Brief: Iraq protests, ‘historic’ Syria talks, Chile pulls out of COP25, Guinea-Bissau, South Sudan, new nuclear watchdog chief

30 Oct 2019

A recap of Wednesday’s stories: new Syria talks begin in Geneva; Chile pulls out as host of major climate conference; UN calls for national talks to break cycle of violence in Iraq; UN chief voices ‘serious concern’ over Guinea-Bissau political crisis; IOM suspends South Sudan Ebola screening; UN atomic watchdog appoints new leader.