News
FROM THE FIELD: Restoring Dutch ‘green deserts’
The Western Peat Meadows of the Netherlands look like classic Dutch countryside (cows, windmills and green fields), but the views mask a significant loss of biodiversity, caused by intensive farming methods.
Sustainability solution or climate calamity? The dangers and promise of cryptocurrency technology
The negative environmental impact of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin has been widely covered in the press in recent weeks and months, and their volatility has also been flagged as a cause for concern.
Sustainability solution or climate calamity? The dangers and promise of cryptocurrency technology
The negative environmental impact of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin has been widely covered in the press in recent weeks and months, and their volatility has also been flagged as a cause for concern.
Famine risk spikes amid conflict, COVID-19 and funding gaps: WFP
The impact of conflicts old and new, climate shocks and COVID-19, in addition to a lack of funding, have left millions more on the verge of famine than six months ago, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.
UN chief urges debt relief extension for middle-income countries
Innovative measures to address debt are required to help the world’s more than 100 middle-income countries expand their economies and exit the COVID-19 pandemic, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the General Assembly on Thursday.
INTERVIEW: Address conflict, climate change, disease, to reduce humanitarian need, urges outgoing ‘relief chief’
When he accepted the offer to become UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, four years ago, Mark Lowcock had hoped the need for aid globally was on the decline.
UN chief: Desertification and drought destabilizing well-being of 3.2 billion people
Land degradation from climate change and the expansion of agriculture, cities and infrastructure “undermines the well-being of 3.2 billion people”, the UN chief said on Wednesday in his message for World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.
Yemen ‘a tale of missed and then lost opportunities’, outgoing envoy tells Security Council
Yemen’s warring sides have been unable to overcome their differences, dashing hopes for peace, the UN Special Envoy for the country said on Tuesday in his final briefing to the Security Council in the role.
‘Digital dumpsites’ study highlights growing threat to children: UN health agency
The health of children, adolescents and expectant mothers worldwide is at risk from the illegal processing of old electrical or electronic devices, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday, in a landmark new report on the toxic threat.
Domestic workers among hardest hit by COVID crisis, says UN labour agency
Domestic workers globally have been among the hardest hit by the COVID crisis, losing more jobs and working hours than other sectors, the UN labour agency ILO said on Tuesday.
Restoring nature ‘the test of our generation’: UN General Assembly President
Stepping up global efforts to combat land degradation is the only way to safeguard food and water security, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ward against future threats to health and the environment, the UN General Assembly President told ambas
More than a million Lebanese in need, top UN humanitarian official there warns
As Lebanon endures one of its worst financial and economic crises ever, the UN estimates that over the next eight months around $300 million is needed to provide vital aid to around 1.5 million Lebanese and 400,000 migrant workers living there.
Turning to sustainable global business: 5 things to know about the circular economy
Due to the ever-increasing demands of the global economy, the resources of the planet are being used up at an alarming rate and waste and pollution are growing fast.
Guterres: Vaccines should be considered 'global public goods'
Lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines should be considered “global public goods”, the UN chief told journalists on Friday, covering the G7 Summit of leading industrialized nations taking place in the United Kingdom.
Continuing Venezuela exodus and COVID-19 highlights need for global solidarity for most vulnerable
Vulnerable Venezuelan migrants and refugees who have been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 health and socio-economic crisis, urgently need greater support from the international community, UN humanitarians said on Friday, ahead of a donor con
UNESCO report highlights need for greater investment, diversity in science
Although spending on science has risen worldwide, greater investment is needed in the face of growing crises, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has recommended in a new report published on Friday.
UN-backed report finds no G7-based stock exchange indices align with Paris climate goals
New research co-authored by the UN Global Compact revealed on Thursday that none of the G7 leading industrial nations’ main stock indices are aligned with global emissions targets set out in the Paris Agreement, thwarting efforts to avoid the wors
UN agencies scale-up response to address looming famine ‘catastrophe’ in Tigray
The head of the World Food Programme (WFP) appealed on Thursday for immediate access to deliver lifesaving assistance to Ethiopia’s Tigray region, where ongoing fighting between government and regional forces has put some 350,000 people at risk of
Nine in 10 African nations set to miss urgent COVID vaccination goal
Nine in 10 African nations look set to miss the September target of vaccinating 10 per cent of their populations against COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO), said on Thursday.
First Person: Owner of first ‘vegan football club’ scoring sustainable goals
A football club in the west of England has been recognized by the United Nations for its leading role in setting goals to tackle climate change, from planning a low-carbon stadium, to selling only 100 per cent vegan food.
Step up HIV fight, to end AIDS ‘epidemic of inequalities’ by 2030
Although the world has made “great strides” since the first case of AIDS was reported, four decades ago, the UN General Assembly President said on Tuesday that the “tragic reality” is that the most vulnerable remain in jeopardy.
End war on nature and ensure ocean health, UN chief says in message for World Oceans Day
Ending the “war on nature” must be part of global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday in his message for World Oceans Day.
Chilliest Spring in years is cold comfort as CO2 emissions rise: WMO
Confirmation that Europe has just had its chilliest Spring in years is cold comfort for the planet, amid rising greenhouse gas levels which will bring negative impacts for generations to come, UN weather experts said on Tuesday.
Volcanic eruption in DR Congo: UNICEF working to restore water supply amid cholera threat
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and partners are working to restore water supply to roughly 200,000 people, including some 100,000 children, affected by the volcanic eruption last month in Goma, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC
Global push needed to ensure ‘clean, affordable and sustainable electricity’ for all
During the last decade, more people around the world have gained access to electricity than ever before.
First Person: Raising a glass to ‘Mama Cheers’
A Ugandan woman entrepreneur who was left with just a wheelbarrow and a red dress, when a business partner ran off with all her money has been recognized with an award by the UN trade agency (UNCTAD) after she grew her company into a nationwide en
UN launches Decade on Ecosystem Restoration to counter ‘triple environmental emergency’
Heads of Government, religious leaders, activists and artists joined the United Nations on Friday in a rallying cry to heal the planet, launching the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
Still time to reverse damage to ‘ravaged’ ecosystems, declares UN chief, marking Environment Day
Amidst the triple environmental threat of biodiversity loss, climate disruption and escalating pollution, Secretary-General António Guterres launched “an unprecedented effort to heal the Earth”, on the eve of World Environment Day.
Still time to reverse damage to ‘ravaged’ ecosystems, declares UN chief, marking Environment Day
Amidst the triple environmental threat of biodiversity loss, climate disruption and escalating pollution, Secretary-General António Guterres launched “an unprecedented effort to heal the Earth”, on the eve of World Environment Day.
UNRWA chief calls for ‘clear and unequivocal guarantees’ on staff safety in Hamas-controlled Gaza
The head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has called for “clear and unequivocal guarantees” over the safety and security of staff working to restore critical services in Gaza, following last month’s conflict between