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.

Ukraine: Countries must support resilient recovery to prevent ‘cascade’ of poverty, hunger

13 Dec 2022

The war in Ukraine is a “relentless humanitarian nightmare” said the UN chief on Tuesday, warning that the death and destruction afflicting civilians there will take years to overcome, and rebuild.

UN honours pioneering initiatives to restore ecosystems worldwide

13 Dec 2022

Ten initiatives from around the globe, which together aim to restore more than 68 million hectares of land and coastlines, have been recognized by the UN for their role in preventing and reversing the degradation of natural habitats across the planet. 

Somalia: Famine narrowly averted – so far, warn UN humanitarians

13 Dec 2022

In Somalia, a full-blown famine has been narrowly averted for now, but the hunger emergency has not gone away, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.

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Global trade growth turns negative after record year: UNCTAD

13 Dec 2022

Global trade is set to reach almost $32 trillion this year, but inflation has reversed some of the gains made in recent months.

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UN reproductive health agency appeals for $1.2 billion to support crisis-affected women and girls

13 Dec 2022

Amid rising humanitarian needs worldwide, the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, on Tuesday launched a $1.2 billion appeal to support 66 million women, girls and young people in 65 countries affected by crisis. 

World Cup joins team UN to kick-off Universal Health Coverage Day

12 Dec 2022

To mark Universal Health Coverage Day on Monday, the UN is sharing the spotlight with the biggest sporting event in the world this week - the FIFA World Cup semi-finals. A showcase celebration of Health for All on the eve of the first showdown between Argentina and Croatia, is taking place on the main stage at the FIFA Fan Festival in Doha, Qatar.

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More than 11,000 children killed or injured in Yemen conflict: UNICEF

11 Dec 2022

More than 11,000 boys and girls have been killed or injured in the war in Yemen - an average of four a day since fighting escalated in 2015, though the number is likely to be far higher, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has reported.

No time to waste, as Haiti famine risk rises, warns UN emergency food aid agency

11 Dec 2022

With armed gangs in charge of key transport routes in Haiti, the country could see famine conditions, unless a robust humanitarian aid plan is put in place, the head of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Haiti, Jean-Martin Bauer, has warned.

‘Just Transition’ policies needed to create 20 million green jobs: UN report  

09 Dec 2022

Some 20 million jobs could be created by investing in policies that support nature and address climate change, disaster risk, food insecurity, and other major challenges, according to a UN report published on Friday. 

UN Emergency Response Fund, a ‘lifeline of hope’ to meet record needs 

09 Dec 2022

As humanitarian needs soar to unprecedented levels, top UN officials on Friday highlighted the importance of the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) in supporting emergencies and responding rapidly to crises.  

UN agencies warn again of record hunger next year in West and Central Africa

08 Dec 2022

The number of hungry people in West and Central Africa could reach a record high of 48 million next year, which should serve as a final “wake-up call” for regional governments to act now, three UN agencies said on Thursday. 

Cholera’s continued spread in Haiti a ‘worrying trend’

08 Dec 2022

As cholera continues to spread in Haiti, a $145 million appeal to support the response is only 16 per cent funded, the top UN aid official there reported on Thursday. 

UN taps potential for trust-building on shared water resources

08 Dec 2022

A UN-led push for greater cross-border cooperation over increasingly finite water resources, made significant progress on Thursday, after it was announced that more than 30 governments and organizations have decided to work together on the issue.

With ocean in ‘dire straits’, Law of the Sea more relevant than ever: Guterres

08 Dec 2022

The adoption by most nations of the world of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 40 years ago, was a “vital step to bring governance and order” to the vast collective treasure that is the ocean, said the UN chief António Guterres on Thursday.

Countries held the line against malaria cases and deaths in 2021: WHO report  

08 Dec 2022

Despite the continued impact of COVID-19, malaria cases and deaths remained stable throughout last year, according to new data released on Thursday by the World Health Organization (WHO).  

UN chief urges governments and business to step up action to protect nature

07 Dec 2022

Governments and the private sector must move to effectively protect the natural environment, Secretary-General António Guterres told journalists covering the UN biodiversity conference, COP15, in Montréal, Canada, on Wednesday. 

Young people’s leadership, drive for justice, the best signals of hope that biodiversity loss can be halted

06 Dec 2022

Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday denounced the existing global financial system as “morally bankrupt” and called on youth leaders gathered for a UN summit in Montreal, Canada, to push for justice so that all countries, especially in the developing world, have the tools needed to curb biodiversity loss and restore the balance between humans and nature.

‘Without nature, we have nothing’: UN chief sounds alarm at key UN biodiversity event

06 Dec 2022

The UN’s key biodiversity conference, COP15, began on Tuesday in Montreal, Canada, where negotiators will set new targets and goals aimed at arresting the alarming destruction of nature, due by human activity.

Developing countries face ‘impossible trade-off’ on debt: UNCTAD chief

06 Dec 2022

Spiralling debt in low and middle-income countries has compromised their chances of sustainable development, the head of UN trade facilitation agency UNCTAD has warned.

Record support brings ‘hope for a brighter future’ for forcibly displaced: UNHCR 

06 Dec 2022

Governments around the world pledged $1.13 billion on Tuesday to provide a lifeline to people displaced by war, violence and human rights violations, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Tuesday.  

Ukraine: ‘Senseless war’ has triggered ‘colossal torment’: Griffiths to Security Council 

06 Dec 2022

The torment being unleashed by Russia’s “senseless war”, on the people of Ukraine and beyond, is “colossal”, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator told the Security Council on Tuesday. 

Drought, conflict force 80,000 Somalis to shelter in Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camps

06 Dec 2022

Tens of thousands of people have sought shelter in recent weeks at Kenya’s Dadaab camps, forced from their homes by extremist violence in neighbouring Somalia and an “unrelenting” drought, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Tuesday.

Ukraine: Missile strikes threaten millions facing cold and hungry winter 

05 Dec 2022

A UN Spokesperson said on Monday that another wave of missile strikes in Ukraine has further damaged the country’s energy system, leaving millions of people without electricity and water as temperatures dip below freezing. 

Conflicts and insecurity remain ‘major bottlenecks’ to achieving UN global goals

02 Dec 2022

Amidst multiple conflicts that have disrupted supply chains, fuelled food insecurity, and contributed to the rising risk of famine and forced displacement throughout numerous countries, the UN convened a high-level meeting on Friday to discuss solutions surrounding building and sustaining peace and stepping up development.  

$1.72 billion plan launched to support Venezuelans on the move in Latin America and the Caribbean 

01 Dec 2022

Two UN agencies launched on Thursday, a $1.72 billion regional plan to support Venezuelan refugees and migrants throughout Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). 

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In Africa, UN chief sees continent full of ‘hope and potential’

01 Dec 2022

Far too often, Africa is viewed from outside “through a prism of problems” said UN chief António Guterres on Thursday, speaking in the Ethiopian capital, home to the African Union, where he has been taking part in the sixth UN-AU annual conference.

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UN appeals for record $51.5 billion to help 230 million on the brink in 2023

01 Dec 2022

A record $51.5 billion is needed to help 230 million of the world’s most vulnerable people in nearly 70 countries next year, the UN said on Thursday.

Rising inflation, falling wages threaten increased poverty and unrest: ILO

30 Nov 2022

Rising inflation has caused a striking decline in real monthly wages in many countries, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said in a report published on Wednesday, highlighting the urgent need for policies to prevent further poverty, inequality and social unrest. 

Numbers forced to flee passes 100 million; many displaced for decades: UNDP

29 Nov 2022

Humanitarian aid alone cannot overcome record levels of internal displacement globally, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said in a report published on Tuesday, calling for urgent action to support people uprooted by climate, conflict and crisis. 

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UN envoy warns against ‘worrying and dangerous’ military escalation in Syria

29 Nov 2022

Syria needs less military activity and more focus on the political process, UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen told the Security Council on Tuesday, appealing for restraint amid a worrying trend towards escalation.