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Reduce pollution to combat ‘superbugs’ and other anti-microbial resistance
Up to 10 million people could die annually by 2050 due to anti-microbial resistance (AMR), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said in a report launched in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Tuesday, highlighting the need to curtail pollution created by the
Türkiye, Syria quake latest: full scale of disaster still unfolding, UN humanitarians warn
The full scale of the multiple earthquake disaster in Türkiye and Syria is still unfolding, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday, as they stressed the critical need to step up search and rescue efforts for victims and ensure that lifesaving aid reache
Lack of jobs, the main driver of violent extremism in sub-Saharan Africa: UNDP
A lack of job opportunities is the leading factor driving people to join fast-growing violent extremist groups in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a new report released by the UN Development Programme on Tuesday.
‘Put people first’ in drive to realize Sustainable Development Goals
Addressing the opening of the Commission for Social Development’s latest session, the president of the UN Economic and Social Council on Monday said it was imperative to put people first, if the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are to be re
‘Put people first’ in drive to realize Sustainable Development Goals
Addressing the opening of the Commission for Social Development’s latest session, the president of the UN Economic and Social Council on Monday said it was imperative to put people first, if the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are to be re
UN relief chief tells Security Council ‘we can do better’ in Ukraine
The UN’s Humanitarian Affairs chief warned the Security Council on Monday that efforts must improve to reach nearly 18 million in need in war-torn Ukraine, since Russia’s full-scale invasion last year.
UN agencies launch emergency response after devastating Türkiye and Syria quake
After a massive earthquake hit southern Türkiye and northern Syria in the early hours of Monday, prompting fears of a humanitarian crisis, UN aid agencies have scrambled to help many thousands of reported victims, including those still believed to
From the Field: Earning a crust from bread
A UN-supported refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) who was left for dead after being attacked by armed men, has baked his way back to a new life off the breadline, in Burundi.
Downward slide in global food prices continues: FAO
Global food prices dropped for the tenth consecutive month in January, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said on Friday.
Transforming how we eat, ‘a critical accelerator’ towards 2030 development goals: Deputy UN chief
Countries will review progress towards transforming food systems worldwide at a three-day meeting in Rome this July, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister announced on Friday, in the Italian capital.
UN aid convoys deliver lifesaving relief to Ukraine’s war-ravaged east
Two UN aid convoys have reached communities with acute needs near the contact line in Ukraine’s war-shattered east this week, relief coordinators reported on Friday.
Ethiopia: Northern aid access improving but some areas still hard to reach
UN humanitarians on Thursday reported that aid access in the north is continuing to improve with aid operations expanding following last November’s ceasefire agreement, but some civilians in the battle-scarred region “remain hard to reach.”
Pope Francis in DR Congo: WFP highlights Africa’s biggest hunger crisis
As crowds in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) thronged on Thursday to hear Pope Francis’s message of hope and solidarity on day three of his official visit to Central Africa, UN humanitarians warned that aid agencies face growing demands
Revive and restore wetlands, home to 40 per cent of all biodiversity
Although coastal and freshwater wetlands – such as swamps, mangroves and marshes - contain 40 per cent of all plant and animal species, many are polluted or degraded due to climate change and human development.
Climate change: WMO unveils plans for sustainable monitoring of greenhouse gases
A UN-led plan to tackle climate change by radically improving the way heat-trapping atmospheric pollutants are measured all over the planet, is being given serious consideration by governments and the international scientific community, the World
Global growth will be weak in 2023 before rebounding next year: IMF
The global economy is set to slow down this year before bouncing back in 2024, a senior official with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said, citing China’s sudden re-opening following the end of its “zero-COVID” policy, and a mild winter,
IOM steps up support as Rohingya refugee numbers rise in Southeast Asia
Increasing numbers of Rohingya refugees have been arriving in Southeast Asian countries by sea and land, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on Tuesday as it scales up support in the region.
Saudi Arabia a strategic partner in UN support for Palestine refugees, amid concern over escalating violence
Youth empowerment and employment figured heavily in discussions between Saudi officials and the head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), held in the kingdom last weekend.
Eight trends that will impact children in 2023
A series of interconnected crises are expected to have a huge impact on children in 2023. A report from the UN children’s agency (UNICEF), released on Tuesday, details the trends that will shape their lives over the next 12 months.
Afghanistan: Humanitarians await guidelines on women’s role in aid operations
A UN-led group of humanitarians are hoping that the Taliban will allow Afghan women to again work with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on the ground following last month’s ban, four senior aid officials told journalists in New York on Monday
Syria: WFP chief calls for action now, as hunger soars to 12 year high
The head of the UN World Food Programme (WFP), speaking in Damascus, has called on the world to boost investment in Syria’s people and communities to help ease the highest levels of hunger in 12 years.
Climate crisis and migration: Greta Thunberg supports IOM over ‘life and death’ issue
The head of the UN migration agency IOM, and leading climate justice activist, Greta Thunberg, called on Friday for immediate action to help tackle the impacts of climate change on those forced to flee their homes, or leaving in search of a better
Peacebuilding must be rooted in ‘bedrock of inclusive, sustainable development’
While describing maintaining peace as core to the UN – its very reason for being - Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed warned the Security Council on Friday that it was a mission now “under grave threat”
Global growth forecast to slow to 1.9% in 2023, warn UN economists
Senior UN economists warned on Wednesday that intersecting crises are likely to add further damage to the global economy, with growth set to slow from three per cent in 2022 to 1.9 per cent this year.
Latin America, Caribbean ‘must step up’ to tackle rising hunger: FAO
Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean “can and must step up” to tackle rising levels of hunger, poverty and inequality, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, said on Wednesday.
Global growth forecast to slow to 1.9% in 2023, warn UN economists
Senior UN economists warned on Wednesday that intersecting crises are likely to add further damage to the global economy, with growth set to slow from three per cent in 2022 to 1.9 per cent this year.
Candlenuts, chilli and chickens: Transforming Indonesia’s rural economy
A combination of determination, a vision, and UN support is transforming the fortunes of remote villages in underdeveloped regions of Eastern Indonesia, and boosting the livelihoods and prospects of local farmers.
Palestinian refugees face hitting ‘rock bottom’, warns UNRWA in $1.6 billion appeal
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) appealed on Tuesday for $1.6 billion to fund core operations this year, as the people it helps face hitting “rock bottom”.
‘Let’s all become the champions the ocean needs’ – UN chief Guterres
On the last day of his visit to Cabo Verde, UN Secretary-General António Guterres addressed the Ocean Race Summit Mindelo, saying that “ending the ocean emergency is a race we must win.”