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Trade in many developing countries projected to ‘nosedive’, warns UNCTAD
Trade in many developing countries is expected to take a “nosedive” in the second quarter of 2020, owing to the unprecedented effects of the coronavirus pandemic, UN economists said on Tuesday.
Syrian refugees resort to ever more desperate measures to resist pandemic impact
The COVID-19 crisis has caused a dramatic spike in the number of Syrian refugees in need of emergency assistance in the last three months, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday, in an appeal for funding to confront new challenges posed by the health em
Syrian refugees resort to ever more desperate measures to resist pandemic impact
The COVID-19 crisis has caused a dramatic spike in the number of Syrian refugees in need of emergency assistance in the last three months, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday, in an appeal for funding to confront new challenges posed by the health em
UN chief in ‘support migrants’ plea, as remittances drop by 20 per cent predicted
Marking International Day of Family Remittances, The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has released a message appealing for “people everywhere” to support migrants, at a time when remittances – the money migrants send home to support their f
Amid COVID-19 and climate change, UNHCR appeals for $186 million for Sahel refugee and displacement crisis
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has issued an urgent appeal for $186 million to provide lifesaving protection and assistance in the Sahel amidst fears that the conflict in the vast African region – exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic – will spread.
Funding shortfall affecting critical water, sanitation services in Yemen
Children in the heart of the world’s worst humanitarian disaster need help more than ever, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday, in an appeal for more support to provide basic services in Yemen.
What does ‘build back better’ really mean? One of the world’s top CEOs give us his take
UN chief António Guterres, has warned of an “unparalleled economic shock”, as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
COVID-19 highlights ‘life and death’ stakes for greater digital cooperation
Managing the digital divide better, has become “a matter of life and death” for people unable to access essential healthcare information during the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN chief has told a virtual high-level meeting on rapid technological change
Throughout COVID-19 recovery, 'plummeting’ clean energy costs can help climate action
As COVID-19 hits the fossil fuel industry, a new UN report published on Wednesday shows that renewable energy is more cost-effective than ever – providing an opportunity to prioritize clean energy in national economic recovery packages and bring t
COVID-19: ‘Unparalleled economic shock’ threatens development hopes and gains
As the diverse and severe impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be felt across the world, an “unparalleled economic shock” is putting development gains at risk, the UN chief told a meeting of high-powered business leaders on Wednesday.
Invest in humanitarian relief now, to limit possible ‘catastrophic’ impact of coronavirus
The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) heard strong appeals on Tuesday for more funds to be steered into the UN’s COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan, as it opened its annual Humanitarian Affairs Segment – the first to be held via video-t
Conflict-hit Nigerian families living under COVID-19 lockdowns, on ‘life-support’
Help and funding are needed urgently for millions of people in Nigeria who have been hit severely by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, including conflict-hit communities “on life-support” in the north-east, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
FROM THE FIELD: The UN’s mission to transform agriculture, for people and planet
How can agriculture become better able to resist major international shocks such as climate change, and health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic?
Solidarity is the world’s ‘best line of defence’: UN General Assembly president
Back in September, the world committed to a landmark political declaration on universal health coverage.
Coronavirus: World Bank confirms deepest recession since World War Two
The COVID-19 pandemic will shrink the global economy by 5.2 per cent this year, representing the deepest recession since World War Two, and triggering a dramatic rise in extreme poverty, the World Bank said Monday in its latest Global Economic Pro
World Oceans Day: Don’t be colour blind, help blue oceans keep the planet green
The COVID-19 pandemic is a “sharp reminder” of how we are all intimately connected to each other and to nature, the UN chief said on Monday, World Oceans Day.
As consumption rises, here’s why sustainable fisheries management matters
Global consumption of fish hit a record high in 2018 and is set to rise in the decade ahead, highlighting the need to ensure sustainable fisheries management, according to the latest report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
FROM THE FIELD: Pacific islanders confront twin threats of climate change and coronavirus
People living on an isolated island community in the Pacific Ocean are finding ways to reduce their dependence on expensive imported food while promoting climate resilient farming techniques, thanks to a programme supported by the UN Development P
Bringing the coral reefs back to life
Coral reefs are being killed by the climate crisis, which is leading to rising sea temperatures. “Cryopreservation”, a pioneering scientific technique”, could be one way to save them.
First Person: Collecting the ‘Book of Life’ for coral reefs
With the climate crisis threatening coral reefs around the world, a researcher in Hawaii is part of a team pioneering new techniques to preserve living coral sperm and larvae, and ultimately save the biodiversity and genetic diversity of coral ree
World Environment Day: COVID-19 crisis demands fundamental rethink
The COVID-19 health crisis should be seen as a clarion call to “fundamentally rethink our relationship” with natural ecosystems and shrinking biodiversity, the UN cultural agency chief said on Friday, World Environment Day.
May confirmed as warmest on record, CO2 levels hit new high despite COVID economic slowdown
Last month was the warmest May on record and carbon dioxide levels also hit a new high despite the economic slowdown from COVID-19, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Friday, in an urgent appeal for Member States to renew their ef
Protect the environment, prevent pandemics, ‘nature is sending us a clear message’
On this year’s World Environment Day, celebrated on June 5, the UN is drawing links between the health of the planet, and human health, and highlighting the importance of protecting biodiversity, the system that supports life.
‘Global solidarity’ needed, to find affordable, accessible COVID-19 vaccine
In the race to end the coronavirus pandemic, the UN chief reminded a virtual medical conference on Thursday that “a vaccine, by itself, is not enough”.
‘Stronger response’ key, to build a safer and more stable future: Guterres
UN chief António Guterres is calling for greater unity and solidarity to defeat COVID-19 and build a better world in the wake of the global pandemic.
Bicycles: Setting the wheels of change in motion during and after COVID-19
World Bicycle Day highlights the potential for transforming the way the world moves around, before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, helping create a healthier, more sustainable future, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.
‘Unprecedented’ financing needed to halt recession of ‘unparalleled proportions’: Mohammed
As COVID-19 has halted economic activity and threatens social wellbeing across the globe, the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) held a wide-ranging policy discussion on Tuesday, exploring financing options to address the pandemic and mobiliz
Put human rights at the centre of coronavirus response urges Muhammd-Bande
The nations of the world must put human rights at the heart of their ongoing response to COVID-19 and ensure that everyone can enjoy “justice and peace” wherever they may be, the President of the General Assembly said on Tuesday.
Yemen: ‘Hanging on by a thread’, UN chief requests funding to meet staggering humanitarian crisis
More than five years of conflict have left Yemenis “hanging on by a thread, their economy in tatters” and their institutions “facing near-collapse”, the UN chief told a virtual pledging conference on Tuesday, calling for a demonstration of solidar
Coronavirus a challenge, and opportunity, to fix remittances system than funnels billions home from abroad
With a euro here and a dollar there, remittances – the money that migrant workers send home to their families – have been adding up in a big way to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals and lift tens of millions out of extreme poverty.