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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Security Council unanimously agrees to extend Syria cross-border aid lifeline

09 Jan 2023

Trucks transporting food, medicine and other desperately needed aid into northwestern Syria from Türkiye, will continue their lifesaving journeys for another six months following a vote in the UN Security Council on Monday.

‘I don’t want to see more graves go to the sea’: Saving a Belize village from man-made erosion

08 Jan 2023

Rising sea levels are threatening the very existence of Monkey River, a coastal village in south-east Belize. With the support of the UN, the community is trying to stem the tide, and protect what is left.

Sunshine, sea, and sustainable tourism: Indonesian women entrepreneurs adapt to a changing world

07 Jan 2023

Sustainable tourism is proving to be a viable career option for women in the picturesque North Sulawesi region of Indonesia, where they are making the most of skills training provided by the UN.

Food prices decline in December following ‘two very volatile years’: FAO

06 Jan 2023

World food prices declined for the ninth consecutive month in December, though many commodities are still at record highs, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported on Friday. 

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Flexible work arrangements, a benefit to all – ILO report

06 Jan 2023

Flexible working hours can advance economies and businesses while helping employees and families achieve a better work-life balance, according to a new report launched by the International Labour Organization (ILO) on Friday.

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Pakistan floods: 9 million more risk being pushed into poverty, warns UNDP

05 Jan 2023

An additional nine million people risk being pushed into poverty on top of the 33 million affected by last summer’s devastating floods in Pakistan, the UN development agency, UNDP said on Thursday, ahead of next week’s International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan in Geneva.

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Europe: Warm start to 2023 breaks records, and skiers’ hearts says WMO

05 Jan 2023

The unusually warm conditions in Europe that marked the festive season broke records – and likely skiers’ hearts - in several countries on the continent, on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has confirmed.

Syria: Rights experts call for renewal of cross-border aid resolution

04 Jan 2023

A UN Security Council Resolution that ensures millions of people in northwest Syria receive lifesaving aid through cross-border deliveries from Türkiye, must be extended, a group of independent human rights experts said on Wednesday. 

Ukraine: FAO and EU in $15.5 million bid to avert food crisis threat

04 Jan 2023

In Ukraine, the country’s farmers and smallholders urgently need more support to avoid a food crisis, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Wednesday, as it announced a $15.5 million initiative to help them.

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Ukraine: ‘Multiple civilian causalities’ as new year dawns 

03 Jan 2023

The New Year holiday period witnessed a fresh surge of deadly attacks by Russian forces in Ukraine, Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told journalists on Tuesday. 

Syria: Security Council advised to extend cross-border aid access ‘without delay’

03 Jan 2023

UN agency chiefs appealed to the Security Council on Tuesday to extend a deal guaranteeing cross-border aid access to northwest Syria, that’s due to expire in eight days.

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Arab region registers world’s highest unemployment rate, UN survey finds

30 Dec 2022

According to the latest UN survey, released on Friday, the Arab region registered a 12 per cent unemployment rate in 2022, the highest in the world.

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Ethiopia: Nationwide measles vaccination campaign integrates other live-saving interventions

30 Dec 2022

UN agencies, the Ethiopian authorities and partners kicked off on Friday, a nationwide integrated measles vaccination campaign targeting more than 15 million children.

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2022 Year in Review: Amid global turmoil, UN doggedly pursues international climate agreements

28 Dec 2022

Despite strong evidence that human activity played a role in catastrophic weather events, and the emergence of a fuel crisis sparked by the war in Ukraine, greenhouse gas emissions continued to rise. Nevertheless, the UN kept the climate emergency high on the international agenda, reaching major agreements on financing and biodiversity.

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UN migration agency to support 700,000 Ukrainians through ‘most challenging’ winter

27 Dec 2022

As temperatures across Ukraine have plummeted below zero and are expected to drop even more, the UN migration agency is stepping up efforts to help displaced and war-affected people cope with the cold weather.

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UN chief issues global ‘wake-up call’ on Day of Epidemic Preparedness

27 Dec 2022

Three years ago this month, the virus that causes COVID-19 was first detected, the UN chief reminded on Tuesday, the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness.

UN refugee agency welcomes Indonesia's ‘act of humanity’ in rescuing migrants adrift at sea  

27 Dec 2022

Indonesian fishing crews and local authorities who took part in rescuing more than 200 people adrift at sea, were hailed on Tuesday by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, for their “act of humanity”. 

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Burkina Faso authorities had no authority to expel senior UN official: Guterres

26 Dec 2022

The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has expressed his confidence in Barbara Manzi, the most senior UN official in Burkina Faso, who was ordered to leave the country by the government on Friday.

WMO releases ‘tell-tale signs’ of extreme weather conditions around the world

23 Dec 2022

From extreme floods to heat and drought, weather and climate-related disasters have affected millions and cost billions this year, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Friday, describing the “tell-tale signs and impacts” of intensified climate change.

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South Sudan: Amidst ‘unimaginable suffering’, over 260,000 in need slated for humanitarian support

22 Dec 2022

UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths released from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) on Thursday, $14 million for direct assistance to 262,521 South Sudanese affected by increased violence and severe flooding.

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Horn of Africa faces most severe drought in more than two generations – UNICEF

22 Dec 2022

The number of children suffering from dire drought conditions across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia has more than doubled in five months, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Thursday.

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Millions of Afghan children inoculated against measles, polio in 1st Statewide drive since 2021 transition

22 Dec 2022

Millions of Afghan children have been vaccinated during the first nationwide integrated measles and polio campaign in Afghanistan since the Taliban took power in August 2021, the UN health agency said on Thursday.

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Climate action, one recipe at a time

22 Dec 2022

Renowned chefs such as UN World Food Programme (WFP) Goodwill Ambassador Chef Manal Al Alem, and Chef José Andres, as well as indigenous home cooks and farmers from around the world, have contributed to a new cookbook that includes recipes that are delicious and climate friendly. 

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Iran: US sanctions violating human rights of all living there, say UN experts

20 Dec 2022

US sanctions on Iran are resulting in harm to the country’s environment and preventing everyone there - including migrants and Afghan refugees - from fully enjoying their rights to health and life, and contributing to other factors such as rising air pollution, UN-appointed independent experts said on Tuesday.

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Somalia: Urgent support needed for rural communities facing famine

20 Dec 2022

Famine is fast approaching in Somalia and more than 700,000 people could face starvation next year, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned on Tuesday, citing the latest Integrated Food Security Phase (IPC) analysis. 

Guterres announces ‘no nonsense’ climate action summit; calls for practical solutions

19 Dec 2022

The UN chief said on Monday he was determined to make 2023 “a year for peace” and a “year for action”, highlighting the need for practical solutions to a raft of pressing problems facing all regions of the world.

UN conference concludes with ‘historic’ deal to protect a third of the world’s biodiversity

19 Dec 2022

The UN Biodiversity Conference, COP15, concluded early on Monday in Montreal, Canada, with a landmark agreement to protect 30 per cent of the planet’s lands, coastal areas and inland waters by the end of the decade. 

UN envoy reports ‘sharp increase’ in violence this year in Israel-Palestine conflict

19 Dec 2022

More than 150 Palestinians and over 20 Israelis have been killed in the West Bank and Israel so far in 2022 - the highest number of deaths in years, UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland told the Security Council on Monday. 

As biodiversity degrades, nature’s solutions are lost for ever

18 Dec 2022

Humanity faces unprecedented engineering challenges if it is to survive. Solutions to these challenges are waiting to be discovered in plants, animals, and microbes, but these could be lost forever, if we do not preserve the rich diversity of life on Earth.

Why biodiversity is good for our health

17 Dec 2022

The natural world has gifted humanity with untold health benefits, and it is believed that it harbours many more undiscovered health breakthroughs. However, we risk losing these benefits, if we continue to degrade the environment.