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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Behind at halftime, but all still to play for in race to 2030 goals as top political forum closes

19 Jul 2023

This year’s High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) concluded in New York on Wednesday, laying the groundwork for the crucial SDG Summit in September. 

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Sudan: Conflict displaces nearly 200,000 alone in the past week

18 Jul 2023

Nearly 200,000 people were displaced by fighting inside Sudan over the past week, the UN reported on Tuesday, citing new figures released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). 

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Ukraine: Do not play with nuclear Armageddon, warns UN Assembly President

18 Jul 2023

Targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine and threats of use of nuclear weapons, severely undermines trust “within and in our institution”, the President of the UN General Assembly said on Tuesday. 

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Mandela’s legacy thrives as today's blueprint for prisoners’ rights

18 Jul 2023

Adamu* got two years for stealing in Nigeria, Denny is serving five years in Indonesia, and Lauro José dos Santos served a 12-year sentence in Brazil, but ongoing reform efforts rooted in the “Mandela Rules” and a range of UN-supported programmes are helping them and prisoners around the world get a second chance upon their release.

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Health risks on the rise as heatwave intensifies across Europe: WMO

18 Jul 2023

The dangers associated with the heatwave that’s engulfing the northern hemisphere aren’t over yet, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned on Tuesday.

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Halfway to 2030, world ‘nowhere near’ reaching Global Goals, UN warns

17 Jul 2023

The world is “woefully off track” to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the 2030 deadline, top United Nations officials said on Monday, as ministers and policy makers gathered in New York to examine how countries can get back on track and make the transformative development agenda a reality.

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WFP forced to slash food aid as half of all Haitians go hungry

17 Jul 2023

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has been compelled to reduce the number of people receiving emergency food assistance in Haiti due to a lack of funding, affecting around 100,000 people, the agency reported on Monday. 

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UN chief regrets Russia’s decision to withdraw from grain deal

17 Jul 2023

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday that he deeply regrets Russia’s decision to terminate the Black Sea Initiative, in effect ending a “lifeline” for hundreds of millions worldwide facing hunger and spiralling food costs. 

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Sudan: ‘We cannot work under the barrel of a gun,’ UN relief chief says

15 Jul 2023

Warring factions in Sudan must respect international law, protect civilians, and stop targeting relief and aid workers, the United Nations top humanitarian official urged on Saturday, as the conflict reached its three-month mark.

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Extreme weather highlights need for greater climate action: WMO

14 Jul 2023

Scorching temperatures are engulfing large parts of the Northern hemisphere, while devastating floods triggered by relentless rainfall have disrupted lives and livelihoods, underscoring the urgent need for more climate action, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Friday.

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Urban planning must factor in needs of migrants, sustainable development forum hears

13 Jul 2023

With two thirds of the world’s population likely living in urban areas by 2050, the UN’s High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Thursday turned the spotlight on the sustainable development of cities.

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Sudan: Emergency seed distribution campaign underway as fighting continues

13 Jul 2023

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Thursday launched an emergency seed distribution campaign in Sudan, ensuring farmers and their families have the necessary resources to meet food production needs amid the on-going conflict between rival military forces.

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Türk: Accountability needed for ‘shocking’ violations by Russian forces in Ukraine

12 Jul 2023

The continuing lack of accountability for the violations and abuses committed by Russian forces in Ukraine is deeply concerning, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said on Wednesday. 

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‘Crushing’ debt crisis spells development disaster for billions: UN chief

12 Jul 2023

Half of humanity lives in countries that are forced to spend more on servicing their debt than on health and education, which is nothing less than a development disaster, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday.

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Hunger afflicts one in ten globally, UN report finds

12 Jul 2023

As many as 783 million people faced hunger worldwide in 2022 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, repeated weather shocks and conflicts, including in Ukraine, according to a study launched by five United Nations agencies on Wednesday.

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UN issues global alert to combat severe sand and dust storms

12 Jul 2023

Severe sand and dust storms (SDS) are becoming increasingly common, with UN climate experts attributing the rise to human-driven causes such as climate change and unsustainable farming practices. To combat this, the UN has designated 12 July its first-ever International Day of Combatting Sand and Dust Storms.

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In Nigeria, UN deputy chief and Malala champion girls’ right to education

12 Jul 2023

More than 120 million girls are out of school and the world must do more to ensure they can get an education, Nobel laureate and UN Messenger of Peace Malala Yousafzai said in Abuja, Nigeria on Wednesday, her 26th birthday. 

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Hunger afflicts one in ten globally, UN report finds

12 Jul 2023

As many as 783 million people faced hunger worldwide in 2022 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, repeated weather shocks and conflicts, including in Ukraine, according to a study launched by five United Nations agencies on Wednesday.

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‘Crushing’ debt crisis spells development disaster for billions: UN chief

12 Jul 2023

Half of humanity lives in countries that are forced to spend more on servicing their debt than on health and education, which is nothing less than a development disaster, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday.

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Rapid poverty reduction in some countries, data missing in many others

11 Jul 2023

Twenty five countries, including some of the world’s biggest economies, have halved their poverty indices, but lack of post-COVID-19 pandemic data obscures the situation facing almost a billion people globally, a new United Nations-University of Oxford study has found. 

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Major boost needed to reach 2030 water, sanitation and hygiene goals

11 Jul 2023

Despite some progress, billions worldwide still lack access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene; a situation exacerbated by water scarcity caused by conflicts and climate change. On Tuesday, the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) discussed the key role of water in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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Türk calls for respect as rights council urgently debates Quran burnings

11 Jul 2023

The UN’s top human rights official urged respect for religious tolerance on Tuesday as Member States gathered in Geneva in response to the recent burning of the holy Quran in the Swedish capital.

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Security Council fails to reach consensus on Syria aid lifeline

11 Jul 2023

Life-saving assistance to millions in northwest Syria is at risk after the UN Security Council on Tuesday failed to adopt either of two competing resolutions to extend cross-border aid delivery from Türkiye. 

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UN calls for gender quality push, central to SDGs

11 Jul 2023

At eight billion strong, the “human family is larger than ever”, but leaders are failing in efforts to ensure a peaceful and prosperous world for all, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in his message to mark World Population Day on Tuesday.

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Sudan crisis: You don’t dare ask refugees where the men have gone, say UN aid teams

11 Jul 2023

As conflict continues to rage in Sudan, UN humanitarians expressed alarm on Tuesday at a surge in the number of people fleeing across the border to Chad.

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Top UN forum meets to ‘build political momentum’ for SDGs

10 Jul 2023

Government, civil society and private sector partners convened in New York on Monday by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to address the urgent need to put the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) back on track.

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One year of the Black Sea Initiative: Key facts and figures 

10 Jul 2023

For almost a year, the UN-brokered Black Sea Initiative agreed by Russia, Türkiye, and Ukraine has allowed millions of tonnes of grain and other foodstuffs to leave Ukraine’s ports, playing an “indispensable role” in global food security, according to UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

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Top UN forum meets to ‘build political momentum’ for SDGs

10 Jul 2023

Government, civil society and private sector partners convened in New York on Monday in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to address the urgent need to put the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) back on track.

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Yemen: Transfer of oil from decaying ship expected to start next week

10 Jul 2023

Transfer of crude oil from the dilapidated tanker Safer stranded off the coast of Yemen, is expected to start early next week, a senior United Nations humanitarian official told the Security Council on Monday.

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Halfway there: 5 ways the UN is turbocharging the race to the SDGs

10 Jul 2023

At the halfway point towards realizing the ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Member States, innovators, and influencers will gather at UN Headquarters on Monday when the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) will be showcasing post-pandemic gains made in the push towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), unveiling its latest progress report.