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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UN calls for shipping ‘propulsion revolution’ to avoid ‘environmental disaster’

30 Oct 2019

If emissions from the maritime industry are not cut, we are headed for “an environmental disaster”, Isabelle Durant, the deputy head of the UN trade body, UNCTAD, told the Global Maritime Forum summit on Wednesday.

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Tuesday’s Daily Brief: Slow progress on women and peace, rights in Kashmir, Venezuela refugees, Guterres on key Syria talks

29 Oct 2019

A recap of Tuesday’s top stories: ‘Real change’ too slow for women’s peace and security role; UN rights chief urges India to ‘unlock’ Kashmir restrictions; UN chief welcomes milestone Syria constitution meeting.

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UN summit tackles climate change-induced threat to mountain water supplies

29 Oct 2019

The world’s mountain and glacier regions are facing unprecedented challenges due to climate change, imposing a crippling effect on the people and economies that rely on them, the UN’s weather agency explained on Tuesday, ahead of a summit to address the world’s rapidly-changing water systems.  

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Monday’s Daily Brief: Israeli-Palestinian conflict, gender gap in Latin America, Syria talks in Geneva, human rights in Egypt, the future of digital telecommunications

28 Oct 2019

A recap of Monday’s top stories: ‘Multi-generational tragedy’ in Israel and Palestine demands viable two-State solution; gender gap persists in Latin America’s workforce; Syria envoy urges prisoner release ahead of talks in Geneva; Egypt urged to end repression of protesters and rights defenders; future of digital communications discussed at  world conference. 

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FROM THE FIELD: ‘Blue’ finance flows in the Seychelles

28 Oct 2019

Protecting marine areas from over-exploitation and providing the people who have traditionally lived off the sea with a sustainable alternative livelihood does not come cheap, but in the Seychelles, a focus on financial instruments is making that task easier. 

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Nepal benefits from end to open toilet use

25 Oct 2019

Sunaina lives in Majhi, a village of 104 people in Nepal’s impoverished Terai region. Huts fashioned of mud, thatch and straw stand in a row along the shoulder of a dirt road that carves through rice fields, where Sunaina, and the majority of her neighbours earn their living.

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Security Council: UN welcomes efforts to de-escalate crisis in northeast Syria

24 Oct 2019

The United Nations welcomes efforts to de-escalate the crisis in northeastern Syria in the wake of Turkey’s incursion, a senior official with responsibility for the region told the Security Council on Thursday.

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‘Unique opportunity’ to resolve border dispute between Sudan, South Sudan

24 Oct 2019

Sudan and neighbouring South Sudan “have never been closer” to reaching a sustainable peace with each other, and their own internal armed opposition groups, the head of UN peacekeeping told the Security Council on Thursday.

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Wednesday's Daily Brief: New food agency partnership for children, conference on solidarity for Venezuela, snow leopard at risk of extinction

23 Oct 2019

A recap of Wednesday's top stories:  UN food agency partnership to feed millions of hungry children; Solidarity conference for 4.5 million Venezuelans on the move;  new panel to aid internally displaced persons; healthy working conditions still not universal - UN rights expert; Environment Programme to help endangered snow leopard.

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Millions of young lives at risk due to humanitarian funding shortfall: UNICEF

22 Oct 2019

“Substantial” shortfalls in humanitarian funding are placing the lives of millions of children in areas affected by conflict and disaster at risk, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday.

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Kors and Nyong’o: Food, fashion and film join forces at UN, for the world’s hungry

21 Oct 2019

For the seventh year in a row, fashion mogul and UN Goodwill Ambassador Michael Kors, launched his Watch Hunger Stop campaign on Monday - an initiative that supports the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) in its work to feed schoolchildren around the world.  

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Monday’s Daily Brief: Online hate, gender equality in Africa, Chile protests, African migrants in Europe, Security Council in South Sudan

21 Oct 2019

A recap of Monday’s main stories: companies ‘failing’ to address offline harm incited by online hate; gender equality ‘precursor’ to sustaining peace; UN rights chief urges ‘immediate dialogue’ to resolve Chile crisis; African migrants would make perilous Europe journey again; Security Council visits South Sudan. 

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Global economy: ‘we must do everything possible’ to avoid global ‘fracture’ caused by US-China tensions, urges Guterres

19 Oct 2019

Tensions around global trade and technology continue to rise and the international community needs to “do everything possible” to prevent the world being split into two competing spheres, led by the United States and China. 

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Friday's Daily Brief: Afghan mosque killings, Syrians flee violence, South Sudan floods, Ukraine human trafficking, antisemitism rises, Guterres on Mozambique poll

18 Oct 2019

A recap of Friday's main stories: Afghanistan mosque killings condemned by UN chief, Syrian civilians flee violence, thousands affected by flooding in South Sudan, UN migration agency warns of “pervasive” human trafficking in Ukraine, UN expert calls for better education to combat growing antisemitism.

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Amid ongoing fighting in northeast Syria, hundreds cross Iraqi border in search of safety

18 Oct 2019

Shelling and clashes in northern Syria on the border with Turkey continue to cause hundreds of people to flee, the UN said on Friday, despite a cessation of hostilities deal between Turkish forces and Syrian-backed Kurdish military. 

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Yemen conflict: 'Fragile’ hopes rise, as violence decreases and life-saving humanitarian funding surges

17 Oct 2019

There are “small signs” of hope for Yemeni civilians caught up in fighting, following a reduction in violence, coupled with a 20 per cent increase in funding for the UN’s humanitarian response, the Security Council heard on Thursday.

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Tuberculosis infections declining, but not fast enough among poor, marginalised: UN health agency

17 Oct 2019

A staggering 1.5 million people died from tuberculosis (TB) last year, the UN health agency said on Thursday, in an appeal for far greater funding and political support to eradicate the curable and preventable disease.

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Ending extreme poverty crucial to sustainable future for all: UN chief

17 Oct 2019

A sustainable future for all is unlikely unless globalization benefits all children, their families and communities, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in his message for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, on Thursday.

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Business leaders join UN to rev up sustainable development investments

16 Oct 2019

In a bid to scale up investment efforts to reach sustainable development targets, the Secretary-General on Wednesday convened the first meeting of a new UN-backed corporate alliance to discuss plans for spending on sustainability, likely to be in the trillions of dollars.  

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Tuesday’s Daily Brief: UNICEF child health report, Peacekeeping operations end in Haiti, Syria-Turkey latest, Haitian migrants deported from Bahamas

15 Oct 2019

A recap of Tuesday’s stories: Millions of children undernourished and overweight says landmark report; Security Council marks transition after 15 years of ‘blue helmets’ in Haiti; violence continues ‘on both sides’ of Syria-Turkey border; UN human rights office raises concerns over deportation of Haitian migrants from the Bahamas; UN migration agency helps migrants in Algeria return to Niger; rural women celebrated on International Day.

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Syria war: executions condemned as violence continues ‘on both sides’ of border with Turkey

15 Oct 2019

Amid ongoing fighting in northern Syria and disturbing reports that extrajudicial killings have been streamed online, the United Nations and their partners are continuing to deliver humanitarian supplies to tens of thousands of people displaced by the violence, UN agencies stressed on Tuesday.

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Military operation in northeast Syria could see unintentional release of ISIL affiliates: UN chief

14 Oct 2019

The ongoing Turkish military incursion in northeast Syria could unintentionally lead to the release of scores of people associated with the terrorist group ISIL, the UN Secretary-General fears.

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Stop the waste: UN food agencies call for action to reduce global hunger

14 Oct 2019

With one-third of food produced for human consumption lost or wasted, and millions still going hungry, the UN’s food-related agencies are shining a spotlight on the issue: on Monday, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) published its annual State of Food and Agriculture report with findings that could lead to a reduction in food loss and waste, and, earlier in October, the World Food Programme (WFP) launched its awareness-raising #StopTheWaste campaign.

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UN chief condemns deadly Burkina Faso mosque attack

13 Oct 2019

UN chief António Guterres has strongly condemned Friday’s attack on a mosque in northern Burkina Faso, in a statement released on Saturday.

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Reducing disaster risk is a good investment, and ‘the right thing to do’, says Guterres

13 Oct 2019

There is a strong economic case for climate resilience and reducing the risk of disasters, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a message to mark the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, which falls on Sunday.

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After this year’s Climate Action Summit, what happens next?

12 Oct 2019

People across the world need to embrace “fundamental change” in order to combat climate change and meet the target of restricting the increase in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius, Claudio Forner, from UN Climate Change in Bonn, told UN News in an interview that took place following the Climate Action Summit.

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UN migration agency launches $10 million appeal to support hurricane recovery in The Bahamas

11 Oct 2019

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has launched a $10 million appeal to assist The Bahamas as the country continues to recover from the devastation brought on by Hurricane Dorian just over a month ago.

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Friday’s Daily Brief: Day of the Girl Child, mayors lead on climate emergency, Turkey Syria offensive, new statelessness pledges, extremism in social media

11 Oct 2019

Our top stories for Friday: Day of the Girl Child celebrated around the world; city mayors lead on climate fight; humanitarian alarm rising over Turkey’s Syria offensive; history’s made as countries step forward to tackle global statelessness; Burkina Faso violence forces 500,000 from their homes; 'white extremist’ use of social media in attacks must be curbed.

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Climate emergency: City mayors are 'world's first responders', says UN chief

11 Oct 2019

City bosses are “the world’s first responders to the climate emergency” UN chief António Guterres declared on Friday, at an international mayors’ summit in Copenhagen.

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Turkey’s Syria offensive could spark another catastrophe, warn humanitarians

11 Oct 2019

Airstrikes and a ground offensive by Turkey in northern Syria against Kurdish forces have left civilians dead and forced tens of thousands to flee, UN agencies said on Friday, amid fears of another “humanitarian catastrophe” in the war-torn country.