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Biodiversity at risk, threatens human survival, UN forum hears
As the living tissue of the earth, biodiversity is “intimately linked to human health” the head of the UN’s scientific agency told a global forum on Wednesday, noting that “we are part of that living tissue”.
Biodiversity at risk, threatens human survival, UN forum hears
As the living tissue of the earth, biodiversity is “intimately linked to human health” the head of the UN’s scientific agency told a global forum on Wednesday, noting that “we are part of that living tissue”.
UN chief urges ‘clear and credible’ plans to achieve net zero
The United Nations Secretary-General on Tuesday urged all countries, companies and financial institutions to commit to net zero or carbon neutrality, with “clear and credible” plans to achieve the target, starting immediately.
UN agencies call for urgent action to avert famine risk in 20 ‘hunger hotspots’
Famine is already on the doorstep of millions of families in 20 countries, two UN agencies warned on Tuesday in a report that calls for urgent action to avert rising hunger due to factors such as conflict, climate extremes and the COVID-19 pandemi
‘Seize the moment’ to recover and rebuild better, UN deputy chief urges Asia-Pacific nations
Confronting major setbacks due to the coronavirus pandemic, countries in Asia and the Pacific “must now seize the moment” to rebuild and recover better together, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General said on Tuesday.
Inventions boom in ‘assistive tech’ offers wider benefits for all
Rapid growth in innovations that are designed to help people overcome their disabilities could soon offer a fix to all manner of mobility, sight and other difficulties, UN patent experts WIPO said on Tuesday.
Mozambique: Cabo Delgado displacement could reach 1 million, UN officials warn
Senior leaders with the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, warned on Monday of the urgent need to address the growing humanitarian crisis in the Cabo Delgado province in northern Mozambique, where an ongoing deadly insurgency has uprooted hundreds of tho
Oceans under threat like never before, warns World Meteorological Organization
Climate change has hit the world’s oceans hard, UN weather experts said on Monday, in a call for lifesaving monitoring and early warning services that were interrupted by COVID-19 to be ramped up again, to protect shipping and coastal communities
Recognize ‘true value’ of water, UN urges, marking World Day
The UN is marking World Water Day on Monday with a global conversation on how people value the lifegiving resource in different parts of the world, according to local needs.
FROM THE FIELD: Costa Rica communities fight duel COVID and climate threat
Local communities in Costa Rica are working together to fight the challenging combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, thanks to support from the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
Exploited and marginalized, Bangladeshi tea workers speak up for their rights
Tea garden workers in Bangladesh, who are mainly women, are one of the most marginalized groups in the country, with limited access to education for their children and prone to dire health risks.
First Person: ‘I did it, dad!’ A father's experience of Down syndrome
Millions of people around the world are affected by Down syndrome, a chromosome disorder.
Learning from China’s economic example: a UN Resident Coordinator’s blog
What can African countries learn from China’s success in lifting millions out of poverty?
FROM THE FIELD: Saving corals in crisis
Coral reefs are in grave peril, and the consequences of their extinction could be catastrophic. They support more than a quarter of all marine life, but 90 per cent could disappear by 2050, largely as a result of climate change.
Tigray crisis: Children must be protected from harm, urges UNICEF
The situation for children in Tigray is becoming increasingly serious as the conflict in the northern Ethiopian region continues to escalate, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Forest restoration provides a path to pandemic recovery, greener future
Recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic should lead to stronger action to safeguard the world’s forests, a senior UN official said on Friday, highlighting how these natural resources have helped to protect health and well-being during the global crisi
Billions without clean water and sanitation, a ‘moral failure’: UN General Assembly President
Access to water is not just about “liquid in a bottle” but instead touches on universal issues such as dignity, opportunity and equality, the UN General Assembly President said on Thursday, in opening a high-level meeting on ensuring water and san
No winners but fewer losers in global economy from COVID than expected
The COVID-19 pandemic seriously impacted all economies around the world last year, with trillions of dollars of lost earnings, UN trade and development experts UNCTAD said on Thursday, before highlighting how several countries also showed unexpect
Natural disasters occurring three times more often than 50 years ago: new FAO report
New and unprecedented forms of natural disasters are most heavily felt in the agricultural industry, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Thursday.
Natural disasters occurring three times more often than 50 years ago: new FAO report
New and unprecedented forms of natural disasters are most heavily felt in the agricultural industry, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Thursday.
‘Yemen can’t wait’, UN and partners warn in seeking $3.85 billion for humanitarian response
The UN and its humanitarian partners are seeking $3.85 billion to reach 16 million people in Yemen this year, or nearly 80 per cent of the population, as the country descends deeper into crisis.
South Sudanese ‘one step away from famine', as UN launches humanitarian response plan
As hunger levels continue to deepen in South Sudan due to a combination of violence, climate change and COVID-19, the 2021 South Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan was launched on Tuesday aiming to reach 6.6 million people – including 350,000 refuge
UN agency raises alarm over rising food and fuel prices in Myanmar
Rising food and fuel prices present a looming threat to the poorest and most vulnerable communities in Myanmar, as supply chains and markets are starting to feel the impact of the ongoing political crisis, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on
FROM THE FIELD: Solar power lights up Sudanese refugee camp
In eastern Sudan, renewable energy is being trialled as a power source in UN-run refugee camps, where an influx of thousands of people fleeing conflict in Ethiopia is putting a strain on local resources, and host communities.
FROM THE FIELD: Syrian photographers find hope despite 10 years of civil war
The pain and deprivation of individual Syrians and the widespread destruction, a decade of conflict has wrought on Syria, has been documented in a series of images taken by 17 photographers working in the country.
Urgent funding needed for Mozambique, facing ‘triple threat’ of climate change, conflict and COVID-19
Two years after Tropical Cyclone Idai and Cyclone Kenneth swept through Mozambique in March 2019, killing hundreds and leaving more than two million people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, UN chief António Guterres has recalled the devas
New report details indigenous struggle for land rights
Although the world’s indigenous peoples live in areas that contain around 80 per cent of the planet’s biodiversity, many still struggle to maintain their legal rights to lands, territories and resources, according to a new UN report published on F
FROM THE FIELD: Syria statistics tell tragic tale of decade-long conflict
Ten numbers for each year of Syria’s seemingly interminable conflict: the UN’s Humanitarian agency (OCHA) has marked this tragic milestone by highlighting in figures the country’s miserable decade of suffering and loss.
World’s crime fighters push back against COVID-19’s ‘divisions and inequalities’
The world’s largest crime prevention and criminal justice gathering wrapped up on Friday, rejecting “the divisions and inequalities” exposed by COVID-19, according to the top UN crime-fighting official.
Syria war: Average of one child injured or killed every eight hours over past 10 years - UNICEF
The grim ten-year anniversary of the war in Syria has left 90 percent of the country’s children in need of help, as a triple crisis of violence, economic misery and the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed families to the brink of despair, UNICEF reported