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.

News

UN chief sees ‘great heights’ of human endurance and heroism amid ‘climate carnage’ in Pakistan

10 Sep 2022

Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday reiterated that the needs in flood-ravaged Pakistan are enormous and called for massive and urgent financial support, as he wrapped up a two-day trip aimed at raising awareness of the climate-driven disaster with flights over some of the hardest hit areas. 

From the Field: Black pigs, green tea, and pink orchids – preserving China’s natural resources

10 Sep 2022

China has a dizzying range of rich natural resources. The country is home to 10 per cent of all known plant species, and 14 per cent of all known fauna. The UN, with the Chinese authorities, is working to ensure that the benefits from these resources are shared in a fair and equitable way.

Pakistan: UN scales up financial and other support after ‘latest climate tragedy’

09 Sep 2022

A $7 million disbursement from the UN’s Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF), announced on Friday, will bolster response to the devastating monsoon floods in Pakistan, the worst in more than a decade. 

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In flood-hit Pakistan, Guterres appeals for ‘massive’ global support, tougher action on climate change

09 Sep 2022

UN Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Pakistan on Friday to show solidarity with the people of the country following the loss of life and destruction caused by this year’s devastating floods. He appealed for massive international support to tackle this “climate catastrophe”.

WMO: Climate change in Africa can destabilize ‘countries and entire regions’

08 Sep 2022

Water stress and hazards like withering droughts and devastating floods are hitting African communities, economies and ecosystems hard, according to a new report launched on Thursday by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). 

Human development falling behind in ninety per cent of countries: UN report

08 Sep 2022

The latest flagship UN report on human development, released on Thursday, warns that multiple crises are halting progress on human development, which is going backwards in the overwhelming majority of countries. Here are five things to look out for in the report.

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Security Council hears top concerns of displacement, global security and civilians in Ukraine

07 Sep 2022

As the war in Ukraine “continues to rage,” the UN political and peacebuilding chief updated the Security Council, saying on Wednesday that 5,718 people have been killed, including 372 children.

Somalia: UN envoy calls for collaboration to achieve new administration’s goals

07 Sep 2022

The political climate in Somalia is now more conducive to addressing key national priorities following the end of the “contentious” electoral process in May, UN Special Representative James Swan told the Security Council on Wednesday.

Pollution and climate change upsurge the risk of ‘climate penalty’

07 Sep 2022

A rise in the frequency, intensity and duration of heatwaves will not only increase wildfires this century but also worsen air quality – harming human health and ecosystems, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) launched on Wednesday, the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies.

‘The air that keeps us alive is making us sick’, warn UN experts on Clean Air Day

07 Sep 2022

International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, marked on 7 September, takes place in a world where almost all the air we breathe is polluted, and some seven million people die from air pollution every year. Ahead of the Day, UN News spoke to two experts about the scale of the problem, and the solutions that already exist.

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New social contract needed to lift half of Asia and Pacific region’s workforce out of poverty

06 Sep 2022

Denied decent work opportunities and highly vulnerable to systemic shocks such as pandemics or economic downturns, workers in Asia and the Pacific are under pressure, according to a report launched on Tuesday by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

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Somalia: UN’s top humanitarian forum warns of ‘tipping point’ as famine risk rises

06 Sep 2022

Somalia is at a “tipping point”, with hundreds of thousands of people at immediate risk of famine, the heads of the UN’s highest-level humanitarian coordination forum have warned. 

Somalia receiving unprecedented levels of food aid, with ‘famine at the door’

05 Sep 2022

As UN relief chief Martin Griffiths warned of an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe on Monday, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced that it is delivering more food aid to Somalia than ever before.

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Egypt prepares for flagship UN climate conference, in a year of unprecedented global weather shocks

05 Sep 2022

Regional authorities in Egypt, the host country of the 2022 UN climate conference (COP27), are ramping up initiatives designed to improve the country’s environmental credentials, and speed up its transition to a low carbon economy. The event will begin on 4 November, in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh.

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Women lead marine restoration efforts in the UNESCO Seaflower Biosphere Reserve

02 Sep 2022

Did you know that women represent just 38 per cent of all ocean scientists? A women-led community organisation in the Seaflower UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the Caribbean, is working to restore some of the most important marine ecosystems in the world and paving the way for bigger women's representation in ocean science.

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Pakistan: More than 6.4 million in ‘dire need’ after unprecedented floods

02 Sep 2022

The scale of the humanitarian crisis in Pakistan is unprecedented, with a third of the country under water, UN humanitarians warned on Friday.

World food prices drop for fifth consecutive month: FAO

02 Sep 2022

World food prices have fallen for a fifth consecutive month but are still nearly eight per cent higher than a year ago, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported on Friday. 

Sri Lanka: WFP helps alleviate stress of pregnancy amidst skyrocketing food prices 

31 Aug 2022

The queue of women grows steadily outside a government clinic in Kuppiyawatta, in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo. In just over half an hour the number swells to around 200. Pregnant women, some with children in hand, are waiting their turn to receive food vouchers from the UN World Food Programme (WFP) – part of its emergency food assistance response.

Wildfire, floods don’t need to turn into disasters: UN risk report

31 Aug 2022

Hazards such as earthquakes, floods, heatwaves, and wildfires, can be prevented from becoming life-threatening disasters, according to the authors of a UN report launched on Wednesday.

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Pakistan: $160 million UN emergency plan launched, as ‘monsoon on steroids’ continues

30 Aug 2022

A $160 million emergency plan to help Pakistan deal with devastating flooding has been launched by the United Nations, aiming to reach “5.2 million of the most vulnerable people in the country”.

UN relief chief stresses need to stay and deliver for all Afghans

29 Aug 2022

Humanitarians have stayed and delivered in Afghanistan in the year since the Taliban takeover, and it is imperative that the international community continues to do the same while the de facto authorities must also do their part, the Security Council heard on Monday. 

Pakistan: WFP working to expand food aid as deadly flooding continues

29 Aug 2022

The World Food Programme (WFP) is supporting Pakistan as the country takes stock of floods which have reportedly killed more than 1,000 people and displaced some 33 million, the UN agency said on Monday.

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From The Field: Restoring Myanmar’s Mangroves

29 Aug 2022

Myanmar is believed to be experiencing one of the highest rates of mangrove loss in the world. When a company bought land containing a mangrove forest in the  country’s Tanintharyi region, with plans to convert it into prawn farms, the local community fought back.

In meetings in Tunisia, UN deputy chief upholds relevance of SDGs, education for all

28 Aug 2022

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed highlighted the continued relevance of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), during a meeting with the President of Tunisia, Kais Saied, held on Sunday.

First Person: Sharing indigenous knowledge with tourists

28 Aug 2022

After successfully reclaiming her people’s territory in Northern Argentina, Celestina Ábalos turned to tourism to share and promote her indigenous culture.  UN entrepreneurship training during the COVID-19 pandemic helped her business to grow.

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Ukraine: More than one million tonnes of grain and food items exported under Black Sea deal

27 Aug 2022

Exports of Ukrainian grain and other foodstuffs under a landmark UN-brokered agreement have surpassed one million metric tonnes, the Coordinator for the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Amir Abdulla, reported on Saturday. 

Young Jordanians innovate to tackle food insecurity

27 Aug 2022

In Jordan, where many struggle to find enough to eat, young people are finding creative ways to tackle food insecurity, and create sustainable, environmentally friendly employment, with support from a UN innovation programme.

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Chad: Unprecedented flooding affects more than 340,000 people

26 Aug 2022

Torrential rainfall has triggered unprecedented flooding in Chad, affecting more than 340,000 people living in 55,000 households – surpassing last year's figure of more than 250,000 impacted, according to a report released on Friday by the UN humanitarian coordination office, OCHA.

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WMO: Greater Horn of Africa drought forecast to continue for fifth year 

26 Aug 2022

As millions of people in the Greater Horn of Africa have already “suffered the longest drought in 40 years,” parts of the region are bracing for a fifth consecutive failed rainy season, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has reported.

Ukraine: Top UN aid official appeals for access across contact line

26 Aug 2022

Speaking from Kharkiv in northeast Ukraine, where shelling has intensified in the last week, the UN's top aid official in the country issued an urgent appeal on Friday for guarantees from Russia and affiliated forces, to allow humanitarians to deliver “absolutely necessary” relief items across the contact line.