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‘We cannot rest’ until child labour is eliminated, ILO chief tells UN conference
Countries taking part in the 5th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour this week in South Africa, are being urged to do more to end child labour by 2025.
Assistive technology: a ‘life changer’ for those most in need
Almost one billion people with disabilities and older persons are being denied access to assistive technology, according to a UN report published on Monday, calling on governments and industry to fund and prioritize access.
Building peace, one project at a time in Colombia
A group of former combatants with the FARC rebel group in Colombia have been reflecting on five years of peace and community building in a locality called Tierra Grata, which translates as “pleasant land”
World Migratory Bird Day illuminates the dark side of light pollution
Governments, cities, companies, and communities around the world are taking action to address a significant and growing threat to wildlife, including many species of migratory birds - light pollution.
Relief chief underlines need for urgent support as millions face drought in Horn of Africa
Humanitarians continue to call for scaling up assistance in the Horn of Africa, where the worst drought in 40 years is affecting some 15 million people across Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia.
Unity among nations, in push for greater space security at UN-led talks
A new UN-led push to prevent an arms race in outer space has received wide-ranging support and participation from civil society and Member States – including all five permanent members of the Security Council - at talks in Geneva.
‘Coalition of the willing’ to ensure healthy diets from sustainable food systems
Ensuring everyone has access to a healthy diet is among the goals of a UN-backed initiative launched on Friday in line with efforts to transform food systems globally.
Ukraine war squeezes food supplies, drives up prices, threatens vulnerable nations
Kicking off a three-day meeting on Friday on the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its wider impact on food and energy prices, the head of the UN agriculture agency outlined key ways for governments to help safeguard global food securi
Sustainable Development Goals in peril due to overseas aid cuts: Guterres
Recent deep cuts to overseas aid budgets by governments, will have “direct, negative impacts” on the ability of the world to reach the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UN chief warned on Friday.
World ‘at a crossroads’ as droughts increase nearly a third in a generation
Humanity is “at a crossroads” when it comes to managing drought and accelerating ways of slowing it down must happen “urgently, using every tool we can”, said the head of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) on Thursday, calling for
UN focus on plant health, crucial for boosting food security worldwide
On the very first International Day of Plant Health, marked on Thursday, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has called for more investment in innovation to boost food security, especially for the billions worldwide living close to the
Yemen: $33 million pledged to address decaying oil tanker threat
Donors on Wednesday pledged $33 million towards a UN-coordinated plan to prevent an ageing oil tanker moored off the west Coast of Yemen from sparking a potential ecological and humanitarian disaster.
Ukraine: UN labour agency update shows 4.8 million jobs lost to war
An estimated 4.8 million jobs have been lost in Ukraine since Russia’s 24 February invasion, according to a brief published on Wednesday by the UN’s labour agency.
New UN campaign aims to bring more young voices to halls of power
To support young people’s political participation and amplify their voices in public life, the UN launched a campaign on Wednesday in collaboration with the Youth Envoy.
Moldovans open their borders, homes and hearts – UN chief
On the second day of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ visit to Chisinau, he drew attention to a migration crisis without refugee camps, as 95 per cent of Ukrainians are living with Moldovan families.
UN launches joint appeal for Syria: ‘Apathy is not an option’
As Syria begins 12 years of conflict amidst soaring humanitarian needs, UN agency heads launched during a European Union conference on Tuesday, a joint appeal for $10.5 billion.
Climate: World getting ‘measurably closer’ to 1.5-degree threshold
There is a 50:50 chance of average global temperature reaching 1.5 degrees Celcius above pre-industrial levels in the next five years, and the likelihood is increasing with time, according to a new report by the World Meteorological Organization (
Guterres expresses solidarity as Moldova grapples with fallout of Russia’s war in Ukraine
Moldova, the most fragile of war-torn Ukraine’s neighbors, needs and deserves massive support to match its generosity as a recipient of nearly half a million refugees, and to preserve its own stability, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said o
High-level UN conference debates precious commodity: Land
The 15th session of the Conference of Parties (COP15) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), kicked-off on Monday, in the Ivorian capital.
UN joins faith-based initiative for shift towards climate-responsible finance
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) joined religious leaders and others on Monday in signing a landmark joint appeal for climate-responsible finance “as a moral imperative towards children”.
Afghanistan: Nearly 20 million going hungry
Nearly 20 million people in Afghanistan – almost half the population – are facing acute hunger, humanitarians warned in a UN-backed report, published on Monday.
Ukraine: UN chief condemns school attack; welcomes new evacuees to Mariupol
Secretary-General António Guterres said on Sunday that he was appalled by an attack on a school in Bilohorivka, eastern Ukraine, where many people were sheltering from the ongoing fighting.
WFP appeals for re-opening of Ukraine ports to avert looming famine threat
Ports in the Odesa area of southern Ukraine must be re-opened urgently to prevent the global hunger crisis from spinning out of control, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.
Small decrease in food prices in April ‘a welcome relief’
After reaching an all-time high in March amid repercussions from the war in Ukraine, world food prices decreased last month, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Friday.
Ukraine: ‘Cycle of death, destruction’ must stop, UN chief tells Security Council
Briefing the Security Council on his shuttle diplomacy last week in Russia and Ukraine, Secretary-General António Guterres declared that he “did not mince words” during meetings with Presidents Putin and Zelenskyy, on the need to end the brutal co
Ethiopia: Essential aid reaches Tigray region, but more still needed
A convoy carrying desperately needed humanitarian aid arrived in the capital of the restive Tigray region in northern Ethiopia this past weekend, the UN reported on Thursday.
Champion of women’s right to manage land and forests wins top environment prize
A veteran Cameroonian activist working to preserve her country’s forests, and improve the lives of people who depend on them, is the latest winner of a UN-backed international environmental prize.
Collective bargaining in the workplace, essential for global recovery: ILO
In the fast-changing world of work, the UN International Labour Organization (ILO) highlighted on Thursday just how important dialogue between workers and management is to the global post-pandemic recovery – and to keeping people’s wages fair.
UN meets to help reverse ‘precipitous drop’ in tourism
As part of the “long journey” to recover from the ravages of COVID-19, UN General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid highlighted on Wednesday the need to build a more sustainable, resilient, and responsible global tourism sector.
New plan to accelerate clean energy access for millions globally
Amid the global energy crisis and worsening climate emergency, the United Nations and partners on Wednesday launched two new initiatives to accelerate action towards achieving clean, affordable energy for all, and the ambitious goal of net-zero ca