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‘Dogged pragmatism’ needed to save Ocean: UN Special Envoy
‘Dogged pragmatism’ is needed to save the Ocean as the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, according to the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Ocean.
FROM THE FIELD: COVID-19-related ‘tragedy’ unfolding in Yemen
A “tragedy” fueled by the spread of COVID-19 which is unfolding in Yemen could affect millions of people there, an international UN-backed pledging conference is expected to hear on Tuesday.
Why business needs to address the social impacts of COVID-19: an interview with Lise Kingo, UN Global Compact chief
As businesses struggle to cope with the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, they need to remain aware of their responsibilities as partners in efforts to build a sustainable future, says the outgoing head of the UN Global Compact, the wor
Life and death for Yemen’s women and girls, as funding evaporates
In mid-May, just as the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Yemen, funding for UNFPA’s life-saving reproductive health services dried up.
Yemen: Amid spike in COVID-19 cases, UNICEF airlifts in badly needed health supplies
A plane chartered by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) landed at Sana’a airport on Saturday with lifesaving supplies to help curb the spread of COVID-19 in conflict-torn Yemen.
Latin America and Caribbean: Millions more could miss meals due to COVID-19 pandemic
Some 14 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean could experience severe food insecurity this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to projections released on Thursday by the World Food Programme (WFP).
COVID-19: Act now or risk ‘unimaginable devastation’ globally, warns UN chief
Unless countries across the world act together now, the COVID-19 pandemic will cause “unimaginable devastation and suffering around the world”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Thursday at a virtual high-level meeting on financing for
Yemen: Humanitarians seeking $2.41 billion to keep aid flowing amid COVID-19 pandemic
UN agencies and their global partners are seeking $2.41 billion to fight COVID-19 spread in Yemen while continuing to support millions affected by the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
COVID-19: A ‘new and deadly threat’ for civilians caught up in violence
Innocent civilians trapped in violence now face “a new and deadly threat” from COVID-19, the UN chief told the Security Council on Wednesday, warning that the pandemic is “amplifying and exploiting the fragilities of our world”.
‘Lockdown generation’ of young workers will need extra help after COVID-19, urges UN labour chief
Further evidence of the unprecedented impact of COVID-19 on the global job market has emerged in a new study by the UN labour agency, which on Wednesday said that more than one in six young people have stopped working since the onset of the pandem
‘Business unusual:’ How COVID-19 could change the future of work
Millions of people around the world have been working remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic and now experts are asking whether this “business unusual” could be the future of work, at least for those people whose job doesn’t require them to be t
Yemen aid lifeline near ‘breaking point’: UN food agency
Humanitarian aid projects to war-torn Yemen are reaching breaking point, and some $870 million is needed to continue giving life-saving assistance to millions of vulnerable people for the next six months, the World Food Programme (WFP), warned on
Guterres commends India and Bangladesh for life-saving work in face of deadly Cyclone Amphan
The UN chief António Guterres commended the governments and people of India and Bangladesh on Saturday, for their life-saving efforts ahead of devastating Cyclone Amphan, wishing those survivors injured and affected by the disaster, a speedy rec
Shrinking forests need bold action to safeguard their biodiversity
Amidst alarming rates of deforestation and land degradation, urgent action is needed to safeguard the biodiversity of the world's forests, according to a new United Nations report, released on Friday.
Build back better and preserve biodiversity after COVID-19 pandemic: UN chief
Recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic must also lead to countries uniting to preserve the natural world, in line with global commitments to achieve a better future for all people and the planet, top officials with the United Nations said on Friday,
Yemen: Coronavirus transmission likely widespread, decimating ‘collapsed’ health system, UN warns
War-torn Yemen’s health system has ‘in effect, collapsed” under the strain of a widening COVID-19 outbreak, with epidemiologists estimating that the virus could spread faster and more widely than in many other countries, the UN warned on Friday.
Cyclone Amphan’s trail of destruction in Bangladesh and India
UN humanitarians and partners are working hard to assist the people of Bangladesh and India suffering from the impact of Cyclone Amphan, which made landfall on Wednesday, wreaking havoc, causing high tidal surges, flooding and embankments to colla
Asia-Pacific nations commit the whole region to ‘defeat’ COVID-19
Gathering together at the top UN intergovernmental body in Asia and the Pacific on Thursday, countries of the vast region of more than four billion people, urged greater measures that reinforce global solidarity in ending the COVID-19 pandemic.
International Tea Day: Trusty cuppa represents ‘crux’ of today’s issues – UN General Assembly president
Art, culture, heritage, and a source of livelihood for millions.
FROM THE FIELD: Nature ‘strongest ally’ to building sustainable planet
Nature is humankind’s ‘strongest ally’ to help build a sustainable planet, according to a Malaysian biodiversity expert, whose organization is supported by the UN Development Programme, (UNDP).
Human development backslides, education at global levels ‘not seen since the 1980s’
School closures, to stem the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, have left some 60 per cent of the world’s children without an education, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said in its new report, launched on Wednesday.
Stand in solidarity to preserve Africa’s hard-won progress, urges UN chief
The coronavirus pandemic threatens the hard-earned gains Africans have made throughout the continent, the UN chief said on Wednesday, urging the world to stand in solidarity with the people, “now, and for recovering better”.
Syria: UN relief chief appeals for renewal of lifesaving cross-border aid operation
The UN’s top aid official has urged the Security Council to renew a mechanism that provides lifesaving assistance to millions of desperate people in northwest Syria, through cross-border deliveries from Turkey.
Guterres encourages three UN Member States to agree on Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
UN chief António Guterres is encouraging Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to persevere with efforts to overcome their differences and reach agreement on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
WHO countries agree 'equitable and timely access' to coronavirus vaccine, 'comprehensive evaluation' of response
The World Health Organization (WHO) concluded the annual World Health Assembly on Tuesday, adopting a resolution that calls for an independent review of the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the agency’s own performance.
'Alarming’ military build-up underway in Libya, as COVID-19 heightens insecurity
The civil war in Libya is in danger of intensifying as foreign intervention grows and the spectre of the COVID-19 pandemic adds to a deepening sense of insecurity, the head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) told the Security Council on T
Coordination essential to beat coronavirus, keep development goals on track
As the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis continues to wreak havoc across the world – with the most vulnerable suffering the most – the UN chief said on Tuesday that the task of eradicating poverty and achieving the development goals “has never been mo
Post-pandemic ‘green shift’ in transport could create up to 15 million jobs
Transforming the transport sector to be more environmentally-friendly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, could create up to 15 million new jobs worldwide and help countries move to greener, healthier economies, according to a UN-backed rep
UN chief renews call for COVID-19 solidarity as WHO warns ‘majority’ of world still at risk
A “massive” and combined effort by all countries is needed to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday, as UN health agency head, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, insisted that “the majority of the world’s popu
Cultivating a taste for traditional crops in Hawaii
Hundreds of millions of people go hungry around the world, and there are fears the COVID-19 pandemic could make matters worse. In Hawaii, researchers think that bringing back overlooked, traditional crops, could help feed many vulnerable people.