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‘Humanity, quiet dignity’ of workers profiled in US-wide photo project
A small paddle-boat with two men on board finds its way through a green but muddy field planted with rice on a 120-acre farm in Scott, in the US state of Louisiana.
FIRST PERSON: ‘Dog-dead tired’ with a boat full of crawfish
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is marking its centenary in 2019 and as part of the commemoration has launched a photography project called “Dignity at Work: The American Experience” to document the working life of people across the Un
Friday’s Daily Brief: Pope Francis, Lesotho, Iran, world corruption
Our top stories for Friday include: Pope Francis receives the UN chief in Rome, Lesotho famine threat, concern for jailed Iranian protestors, and strengthened global action to prevent corruption.
Lesotho: Tens of thousands ‘one step away from famine’ as drought impacts harvests and UN launches flash appeal
Devastating drought in the southern African nation of Lesotho has left more than half a million people facing severe food shortages and tens of thousands “one step away from famine”, UN humanitarians said on Friday, in an appeal for funds.
Thursday’s Daily Brief: tobacco burn-out, cholera cases down, ‘shifting the needle’ on climate
Among today’s stories: more men are quitting nicotine than ever before, a big drop in cholera cases was recorded between 2017 and 2018, and the UN calls on developed countries to raise their climate ambitions, following the disappointment of COP25
Life for civilians in Syria ‘worse than when the year began’
The humanitarian situation facing civilians in many parts of Syria is “worse than when the year began”, the UN deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator told the Security Council on Thursday.
Only ‘concrete action’ will stop fraying of Israel-Palestine peace prospects
Obstacles to any lasting deal between Israel and Palestine continue to mount, the UN’s Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process told Security Council members on Wednesday, and only “concrete action” towards a two-State solution will c
‘New and dangerous’ global risks require multilateral solutions, Guterres tells Italian Senate
Shifting balances of power are triggering “new and dangerous risks”, the UN chief told the Italian Senate in Rome on Wednesday, pointing to the need for more coordinated international responses, focused on solutions.
South Sudan: political will needed to form a unified government, on the road to peace
Extending the deadline for the establishment of a unity government in South Sudan has helped maintain a ceasefire but also disillusioned many citizens, the Security Council heard on Tuesday.
Nine children killed or maimed in Afghanistan every day: UN Children’s Fund
An average of nine children have been killed or maimed every day in Afghanistan so far this year, according to a new report from the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, which describes the country as “the world’s most lethal warzone”.
Monday’s Daily Brief: anti-corruption conference, refugees’ summit, food extremes, Yemen aid
Our top stories for Monday include: major international conference on anti-corruption underway; first ever Global Refugee Forum kicks off; global undernutrition and obesity crisis laid bare; food aid in Yemen; the power of youth to end hunger.
At this ‘critical moment’, UN chief urges anti-corruption conference to adopt united front
As we enter the Decade of Action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the world must “unite against corruption” to stop precious resources from being drained by illicit financial flows, an international conference on the issue hear
Bold, innovative measures for refugees and their hosts sought, at first ever Global Forum
As refugee numbers approach 26 million, heads of state, top UN diplomats, powerful figures from the private sector and civil society are heading to Geneva to agree on “bold, new” ways to help, at the first ever Global Refugee Forum, which got unde
Progress made at COP25, despite lack of agreement to increase climate ambition
Negotiations at the COP25 UN climate conference in Madrid finally ended on Sunday, wrapping up an event which saw much progress made by the private sector, and by national, regional and local governments.
As COP25 goes into the night, Guterres calls for more climate ambition
With national delegations thrashing out an outcome agreement at the UN COP25 climate change conference in Madrid, the UN chief has called on countries to be more ambitious, side strongly with science, and commit to stronger action.
A year on from Yemen talks breakthrough, top UN Envoy hails ‘shift’ towards peace, despite setbacks
When warring parties in Yemen met in a renovated castle outside the Swedish capital last December for UN-brokered talks, they showed that perhaps there could be a way out of brutal conflict and the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, the UN Special
Unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Mali revealed in new report
Escalating violence and insecurity in Mali have sparked an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, rendering 3.9 million people in need of assistance and protection – an increase of 700,000 since the beginning of the year, the UN said on Thursday.
Thursday’s Daily Brief: South Sudan floods, Somalis leave Yemen, LATAM economic slowdown
In today’s Daily Brief: Flooding could push millions in South Sudan into humanitarian crisis, Somalis return home from war-torn Yemen; historically low growth in Latin American and Caribbean economies; UN’s top court will deliberate on Myanmar gen
‘Embrace the transformation’ to a carbon-neutral world by 2050, UN chief tells COP25
With millions of workers increasingly affected by the climate crisis the route to securing livelihoods in the future lies in a wholesale transformation of how we power the planet and manage our resources, the UN chief said on Thursday, at a COP25
South Sudan famine threat: UN food security agency in ‘race against time’
The World Food Programme (WFP) is warning against potential famine in South Sudan as hunger deepens due to drought, floods and an uncertain political future.
Universal Health Coverage will ‘drive progress’ on 2030 Development Agenda
Last September world leaders at the United Nations endorsed an ambitious political declaration on universal health coverage, “reaffirming that health is a human right”, Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday in his message for Intern
North Korea missile tests ‘deeply troubling’: senior UN official
Recent developments concerning North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes are “deeply troubling”, the UN’s Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific said on Wednesday, briefed the Security Council.
COP25: Italy and Mexico pave the way on climate education
A commitment by Italy and Mexico to ramp up climate and environmental education has been welcomed by the UN office which supports global efforts to respond to climate change.
COP25: Support business efforts to tackle climate change, urges Guterres
The UN Secretary-General has called on business and civil society leaders to press Governments into articulating policies that support private sector efforts to address climate change.
Deliver ‘significant results now’, UN General Assembly President tells COP25 climate conference
It is “imperative” that the COP25 climate conference underway in Spain delivers “significant results now”, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, President of the UN General Assembly (PGA), said on Tuesday.
Samoa measles outbreak claims 70 lives, majority are children under five
Seventy people have now died from Samoa’s measles outbreak, UN humanitarians confirmed on Tuesday, as the organization released emergency funding to help the authorities step up efforts to eradicate the preventable disease.
UN Assembly calls on all States to observe Olympic Truce throughout Tokyo Summer Games
The General Assembly on Monday urged United Nations Member States to observe the Olympic Truce – the ancient Greek tradition calling for the cessation of hostilities before, during and after the Games – in the context of next year’s Olympic and Pa
Monday’s Daily Brief: increasing inequality, human rights and climate, civil war crimes, Ethiopia reforms
New UN development report warns global inequality breeding a “new generation of inequalities”; human rights linked to climate change by senior UN official; intentional starvation in civil wars classified as a war crime, UN rights expert calls for
COP25: Global investors urge countries to meet climate action goals
More than 630 investors who collectively manage over $37 trillion in assets are calling on governments across the world to step up action to address climate change and achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.
UN chief urges emergency fund support as one of the ‘most effective investments’ in humanitarian action
The UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), is “one of the most effective investments you can make in humanitarian action”, Secretary-General, António Guterres told a high-level pledging event at UN Headquarters in New York on Monday.