News
Ukraine: ‘Senseless war’ has triggered ‘colossal torment’: Griffiths to Security Council
6 December 2022
The torment being unleashed by Russia’s “senseless war”, on the people of Ukraine and beyond, is “colossal”, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator told the Security Council on Tuesday.
Record support brings ‘hope for a brighter future’ for forcibly displaced: UNHCR
6 December 2022
Governments around the world pledged $1.13 billion on Tuesday to provide a lifeline to people displaced by war, violence and human rights violations, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Tuesday.
Developing countries face ‘impossible trade-off’ on debt: UNCTAD chief
6 December 2022
Spiralling debt in low and middle-income countries has compromised their chances of sustainable development, the head of UN trade facilitation agency UNCTAD has warned.
‘Without nature, we have nothing’: UN chief sounds alarm at key UN biodiversity event
6 December 2022
The UN’s key biodiversity conference, COP15, began on Tuesday in Montreal, Canada, where negotiators will set new targets and goals aimed at arresting the alarming destruction of nature, due by human activity.
Developing countries face ‘impossible trade-off’ on debt: UNCTAD chief
6 December 2022
Spiralling debt in low and middle-income countries has compromised their chances of sustainable development, the head of UN trade facilitation agency UNCTAD has warned.
Young people’s leadership, drive for justice, the best signals of hope that biodiversity loss can be halted
6 December 2022
Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday denounced the existing global financial system as “morally bankrupt” and called on youth leaders gathered for a UN summit in Montreal, Canada, to push for justice so that all countries, especially in t
Ukraine: Missile strikes threaten millions facing cold and hungry winter
5 December 2022
A UN Spokesperson said on Monday that another wave of missile strikes in Ukraine has further damaged the country’s energy system, leaving millions of people without electricity and water as temperatures dip below freezing.
Conflicts and insecurity remain ‘major bottlenecks’ to achieving UN global goals
2 December 2022
Amidst multiple conflicts that have disrupted supply chains, fuelled food insecurity, and contributed to the rising risk of famine and forced displacement throughout numerous countries, the UN convened a high-level meeting on Friday to discuss sol
UN appeals for record $51.5 billion to help 230 million on the brink in 2023
1 December 2022
A record $51.5 billion is needed to help 230 million of the world’s most vulnerable people in nearly 70 countries next year, the UN said on Thursday.
UN appeals for record $51.5 billion to help 230 million on the brink in 2023
1 December 2022
A record $51.5 billion is needed to help 230 million of the world’s most vulnerable people in nearly 70 countries next year, the UN said on Thursday.
In Africa, UN chief sees continent full of ‘hope and potential’
1 December 2022
Far too often, Africa is viewed from outside “through a prism of problems” said UN chief António Guterres on Thursday, speaking in the Ethiopian capital, home to the African Union, where he has been taking part in the sixth UN-AU annual conference
$1.72 billion plan launched to support Venezuelans on the move in Latin America and the Caribbean
1 December 2022
Two UN agencies launched on Thursday, a $1.72 billion regional plan to support Venezuelan refugees and migrants throughout Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).
Rising inflation, falling wages threaten increased poverty and unrest: ILO
30 November 2022
Rising inflation has caused a striking decline in real monthly wages in many countries, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said in a report published on Wednesday, highlighting the urgent need for policies to prevent further poverty, ineq
‘Intense diplomatic efforts’ continue to ensure food and fertilizers reach those in need
29 November 2022
The first shipment of fertilizer donated by Russian producers to countries hit hard by rising global food insecurity, has left the Netherlands bound for Malawi, the UN Spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday.
Large parts of world drier than normal in 2021: WMO
29 November 2022
Most of the globe was drier than normal in 2021, with “cascading effects on economies, ecosystems and our daily lives”, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Tuesday.
Ports, shipping need to go green to resist future global crises: UNCTAD
29 November 2022
The entire shipping industry must invest urgently in sustainability if it is to withstand future shocks and help prevent another global cost-of-living crisis linked to supply chain disruption, UN trade and development experts UNCTAD said on Tuesda
UN Forum tackles ‘digital poverty’ facing 2.7 billion people
29 November 2022
The annual UN forum on Internet governance is under way this week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, aiming to deliver bold solutions for an open, free, inclusive and secure digital future for all, in particular for the 2.7 billion people with no Internet
UN envoy warns against ‘worrying and dangerous’ military escalation in Syria
29 November 2022
Syria needs less military activity and more focus on the political process, UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen told the Security Council on Tuesday, appealing for restraint amid a worrying trend towards escalation.
Ports, shipping need to go green to resist future global crises: UNCTAD
29 November 2022
The entire shipping industry must invest urgently in sustainability if it is to withstand future shocks and help prevent another global cost-of-living crisis linked to supply chain disruption, UN trade and development experts UNCTAD said on Tuesda
Numbers forced to flee passes 100 million; many displaced for decades: UNDP
29 November 2022
Humanitarian aid alone cannot overcome record levels of internal displacement globally, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said in a report published on Tuesday, calling for urgent action to support people uprooted by climate, conflict and crisis
‘We cannot give up’ on the millions suffering in drought-stricken Horn of Africa, urges WFP official
28 November 2022
Millions of people in the Horn of Africa – a region at the intersection of some of the worst impacts of climate change, recurring humanitarian crises and insecurity – are facing the driest conditions in four decades along with extreme food shortag
Ukraine: Heading into winter without heat or water, needs in Mykolaiv are 'critical’
28 November 2022
In the south of Ukraine, people have no water, electricity or heat, and food is scarce, the UN Spokesperson said on Monday.
UNEP honours five protectors of Mother Earth
22 November 2022
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) announced on Tuesday, the 2022 Champions of the Earth for their transformative action to prevent, halt or reverse ecosystem degradation.
At Fez forum, UN chief calls for global ‘alliance of peace’ recognizing inclusion and richness of diversity
22 November 2022
In a world where “old evils – antisemitism, anti-Muslim bigotry, persecution of Christians, xenophobia, and racism – are receiving new leases on life”, the UN Alliance of Civilizations is helping to show the way on how to act in solidarity, UN Sec
Honour traffic victims by making roads safer: Guterres
21 November 2022
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for greater global efforts to achieve the goal of reducing traffic deaths and injuries by half by 2030.
COP27 closes with deal on loss and damage: ‘A step towards justice’, says UN chief
20 November 2022
After days of intense negotiations that stretched into early Sunday morning in Sharm el-Sheikh, countries at the UN Climate Change Conference, known as COP27, reached agreement on an outcome that established a funding mechanism to compensate vulne
‘Join forces’ for peaceful, prosperous continent, urges UN chief on Africa Industrialization Day
20 November 2022
On Africa Industrialization Day, Sunday, the UN chief urged everyone to “join forces to build a more sustainable, peaceful, and prosperous continent for all”.
From the Field: In Ukraine, ‘I have grown used to the endless fear’
19 November 2022
Living with fear and the daily threat of death is something that all Ukrainians have had to reckon with since Russia’s invasion of 24 February, and local UN staff are no exception.
As COP27 deadline slips, UN chief urges negotiators to aim for ‘maximum ambition’ on loss and damage
18 November 2022
The 27th UN Climate Change Conference will close at least one day later than expected, the Egyptian Presidency announced on Friday, calling for negotiators to “shift gears” so an agreement can be reached on the remaining sticking points.
Rights experts decry harassment of activists attending COP27
18 November 2022
Independent human rights experts are in dialogue with Egyptian and UN authorities over the harassment of civil society representatives at the COP27 climate change conference, according to a statement issued on Friday.