News

Our news page provides you with a round up of UN news related to economic development, humanitarian aid, climate change, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). You will find the summary of news articles together with a link to the news source.

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New round of plastics pollution treaty talks underway in Nairobi

13 Nov 2023

Negotiators from around the world gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, on Monday for fresh talks over a landmark international treaty to combat plastic pollution. 

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Fuel shortage could put the brakes on trucks delivering aid to Gaza

13 Nov 2023

Trucks transporting desperately needed aid into Gaza could stop rolling on Tuesday due to a lack of fuel, a senior official with the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, has warned. 

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Gaza: UN agencies make plea for international action to end hospital attacks

12 Nov 2023

UN agencies issued an urgent call for international action on Sunday to end the ongoing attacks on hospitals, as Israeli forces battle Palestinian militants in the heart of the Gaza Strip.

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‘Genuine prospect of Palestinian statehood is critical’, UNRWA chief tells emergency summit in Saudi Arabia

11 Nov 2023

A political solution to end the cycle of conflict in Israel and Palestine has become a stark “matter of life and death” for millions in Gaza and beyond, said the head of the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) on Saturday.

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Gaza conflict could spark rise in poverty, UN agencies warn

10 Nov 2023

Nearly 20 years of development progress could be wiped out in the Occupied Palestine Territories if the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues for a second full month, according to a UN report published on Thursday. 

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Israel-Palestine crisis: Amid war crimes fears, UN rights chief renews calls to stop violence, free hostages 

10 Nov 2023

The UN rights chief Volker Türk reiterated increasingly urgent calls on Friday for a humanitarian ceasefire to allow lifesaving relief to reach Gaza, the release of all hostages taken from Israel and a “sustainable” end to the “nightmarish” situation for those trapped in the enclave.

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70 UN Ambassadors in Geneva urge international action on Gaza

10 Nov 2023

 The international community must act now to end the bloodshed and suffering in Gaza, scores of UN Ambassadors in Geneva said in a joint call on Friday. 

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UPDATING LIVE: Security Council meets again on Israel-Palestine crisis

10 Nov 2023

The UN Security Council met again on Friday to discuss the ongoing Israel-Palestine crisis as negotiations continue behind the scenes to reach some consensus position over the war raging in Gaza, within the 15 member body. Ambassadors heard searing testimony from the UN health agency chief who said the entire health system of the enclave was now "on its knees". Join us here for live updates...

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Israel-Palestine crisis: Silence the guns, UN relief chief tells Paris forum

09 Nov 2023

The UN’s top relief official Martin Griffiths travelled to the Paris humanitarian conference on Gaza on Thursday to issue an appeal for a significant break in the fighting there, urging greater protection for displaced civilians.

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Gaza: ‘Humanitarian pauses’ will need coordination with the UN

09 Nov 2023

Any plans for short-term pauses in the fighting in Gaza must be carried out in coordination with the UN and following agreement by all sides, the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General said on Thursday during his regular press briefing from New York. 

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$20 million appeal to support Palestine labour market

09 Nov 2023

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is seeking $20 million to respond to the critical needs of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian workers and employers affected by the current conflict between Israel and Hamas. 

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Fossil fuel producers ‘literally doubling down’, new UNEP report warns

08 Nov 2023

Contrary to pledges to cut fossil fuel production, government policies worldwide will add up to a doubling of production in 2030, a new report from the UN environment agency (UNEP) revealed on Wednesday.

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2023 likely hottest year on record; further spike expected with El Niño

08 Nov 2023

2023 is “almost certain to be the warmest year on record” after October smashed temperature highs, while the mercury will keep rising as the warming El Niño effect continues well into next year.

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Gazans struggle for survival; north sealed off

08 Nov 2023

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians still in northern Gaza face unprecedented hardship after being isolated by Israeli military operations, while a medical convoy sent by the UN and partners was fired on in Gaza City, the Organization’s humanitarians said on Wednesday.

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Israel-Palestine crisis: UN humanitarians plead for ‘access, access, access’

07 Nov 2023

A month since Hamas terrorists killed 1,400 people in Israel, taking over 240 hostage, and as the Israeli offensive into Gaza continues which has led to thousands of civilian deaths, UN humanitarians on Tuesday issued a heartfelt appeal for access to the enclave.

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World News in Brief: UNCTAD development finance call, Nepal quake update, religious freedom in Nicaragua

07 Nov 2023

The world risks failing the 880 million people living the world’s Least Developed Countries if soaring debt and a chronic lack of international funds prevent them from getting ahead.

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More action needed to write ‘final chapter’ of TB

07 Nov 2023

Tuberculosis (TB) response is bouncing back from disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but more effort is needed to end the disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. 

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Sudan war turning ‘homes into cemeteries’: UNHCR

07 Nov 2023

The war between rival militaries in Sudan is growing in scope and brutality, having driven almost six million people from their homes since it erupted in April and worsening an already complex humanitarian emergency, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) warned on Tuesday.

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Israel-Palestine crisis: ‘Enough is enough’ say UN humanitarians

06 Nov 2023

With the deepening Israel-Palestine crisis about to enter its second month, a dozen UN agencies have reiterated urgent appeals for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to allow more lifesaving aid into Gaza.

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FAO report reveals hidden costs of agrifood systems

06 Nov 2023

Although current agrifood systems provide nourishment and sustain economies, they also impose huge hidden costs on health and the environment - the equivalent of at least $10 trillion annually - a new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has revealed. 

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World News in Brief: Sudan and South Sudan updates, Ukraine heritage under fire in Odesa

06 Nov 2023

Sudan’s children need immediate support from the international community to prevent the country from becoming “another forgotten humanitarian catastrophe” said the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Monday.

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Nepal quake: UN response continues, as aftershocks leave families traumatized

06 Nov 2023

UN agencies in Nepal continue their response to the deadly earthquake that struck western parts of the country over the weekend, claiming 153 lives, injuring over 330 and forcing thousands to spend nights in the open amid freezing temperatures.

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Gaza: ‘Unfolding catastrophe’ makes humanitarian ceasefire more urgent

06 Nov 2023

As the conflict intensifies in Gaza, with risk of spillover to the wider region, UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday underlined the need to support a $1.2 billion humanitarian appeal to help nearly three million people across the Occupied Palestinian Territory. 

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WFP appeals for urgent expanded access to Gaza as food supplies ‘dangerously low’

05 Nov 2023

The head of UN’s emergency food relief agency on Sunday issued an urgent appeal from the Rafah border crossing for safe, expanded humanitarian access to Gaza as critical food supplies in the ravaged enclave reach dangerously low levels.

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Guterres ‘horrified’ by strike on ambulance convoy in Gaza

04 Nov 2023

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “horrified” by a strike on an ambulance convoy outside a hospital in the Gaza Strip on Friday, reiterating his appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire.

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UN teams respond to deadly earthquake in western Nepal

04 Nov 2023

United Nations teams in Nepal are responding to the devastating earthquake in the west of the country, amid reports that over 150 people have been killed and hundreds more injured.

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World’s diverse biospheres ‘making peace with the natural world’

03 Nov 2023

Spanning from city to savannah, and from mountaintops to mangroves, the world’s 748 biosphere reserves are being celebrated this Friday for their diversity and contribution to a green global future. 

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Humanitarian ceasefires critical to meet immense needs in Gaza

03 Nov 2023

Political negotiations to get aid into Gaza have yielded results but much more is needed, including humanitarian ceasefires to ensure safe delivery of food, fuel and other essentials, senior UN officials said on Friday in a briefing to Member States in New York. 

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Ukraine: UN condemns latest wave of Russian attacks

03 Nov 2023

Russia has bombarded more than 100 Ukrainian towns across nearly half of its regions in the past two days according to the Ukrainian Government, many near the frontlines.

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Israel-Palestine crisis: ‘It’s the innocent civilians who are losing’

03 Nov 2023

More funding is urgently needed for lifesaving aid in Gaza while concern is deepening over high numbers of civilians killed since the beginning of the crisis and human rights violations against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.