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
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Ukraine: Guterres welcomes departure of first grain ship, to help ease food crisis

01 Aug 2022

The UN chief on Monday welcomed the departure of the first ship from the Ukrainian port of Odesa to leave carrying grain under the landmark deal signed by Ukraine, Russia and Türkiye, overseen by the UN.

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INTERVIEW: Accessible finance is key to realizing Uganda’s potential

31 Jul 2022

Northern Uganda suffers from a development gap with the rest of the country, with high rates of poverty and unemployment. UN News spoke to Dmitry Pozhidaev, head of the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) office in Uganda, to find out what the agency is doing to improve funding access to individuals and businesses, and put them on the right path to success.

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First Person: Surviving Bali’s COVID tourism crash

30 Jul 2022

Dekha Dewandana ran a thriving ‘homestay’ tourism property in Bali, and received UN-supported training which has helped him to maintain a high standard of hospitality. When COVID-19 hit Indonesia, his business was pushed to the verge of collapse and, after a bruising two-year period, it’s now slowly recovering.

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From The Field: Protecting the last Malayan tigers

29 Jul 2022

The Malayan tiger is a critically endangered species, at a real risk of extinction, mainly as a result of illegal poaching and wildlife trafficking: according to the Malaysian authorities, fewer than 200 are left.

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UN General Assembly declares access to clean and healthy environment a universal human right

28 Jul 2022

With 161 votes in favour, and eight abstentions, the UN General Assembly adopted a historic resolution on Thursday, declaring access to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, a universal human right.

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FAO warns 90 per cent of Earth’s topsoil at risk by 2050 

27 Jul 2022

A full 90 per cent of the Earth’s precious topsoil is likely to be at risk by 2050, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO. 

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Sudan: World Bank provides $100 million in emergency support

27 Jul 2022

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) in Sudan has received a $100 million contribution from the World Bank to assist with critical emergency cash and food sustenance in Sudan.

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Ukraine: UNICEF delivers life-saving supplies for over 50,000 children in Odesa

26 Jul 2022

The UN Children’s Fund UNICEF, delivered supplies on Tuesday to help an estimated 50,000 children in the war-ravaged districts of Odesa, the crucial Black Sea port which Russia bombed on Saturday, just hours after signing a landmark deal to allow Ukrainian grain to reach millions of food insecure people across the world.

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Global economy: Outlook worsens as global recession looms – IMF

26 Jul 2022

Still reeling from the COVID pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the global economy is facing an increasingly murky and uncertain outlook, according to the latest report released on Tuesday by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

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Global awareness critical to protect world’s mangroves: UN science chief

26 Jul 2022

Time is running out to protect the world’s mangroves which are not only home to many species but also an important hedge against climate impacts, the head of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said on Tuesday. 

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New ECOSOC President aims to ease crises which have ‘engulfed our societies’

25 Jul 2022

Bulgaria’s UN Ambassador banged the gavel as President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for the first time on Monday with a vow to build on the “solid foundation” left by the outgoing head and his bureau to transform the world into “a better place for the people of today and tomorrow”. 

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UN delivers aid directly to Haitians caught up in gang violence

25 Jul 2022

United Nations humanitarian agencies have started delivering aid directly to people in Haiti following a recent spike in violence between rival gangs which has fueled a worsening crisis across the capital, Port-au-Prince.

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Women working together, to survive Lebanon’s economic crisis

24 Jul 2022

Lebanon’s women-led cooperatives are helping communities to cope with the country’ recent wave of crises: the COVID-19 pandemic, the financial crisis, and the notorious August 2021 Beirut Port Explosion.

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Why the UN General Assembly must back the right to a healthy environment

22 Jul 2022

In late July, the UN General Assembly is expected to vote on a draft resolution recognizing the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

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Hunger still rising across East Africa, says new UN-backed report

22 Jul 2022

Over 50 million people in Eastern Africa will face acute food insecurity this year, according to a new study backed by the World Food Programme (WFP) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

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UNHCR alarmed by growing death toll among displaced in eastern DR Congo

22 Jul 2022

  As conflict grows in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the rising death toll and suffering of displaced civilians through brutal attacks, is cause for serious concern said the UN refugee agency UNHCR on Friday, which appealed for fresh funds to meet "soaring needs" across the country.

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Mega-drought, glacier melt, and deforestation plague Latin America and the Caribbean

22 Jul 2022

From the Amazon to the Andes and the snowy depths of Patagonia, extreme weather and climate change are causing mega-drought, extreme rainfall, deforestation and glacier melt across the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region, according to a UN report published on Friday.

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Climate change: New approach needed to gauge animal health impact on emissions

21 Jul 2022

Animal health is important to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but greater investment is needed to evaluate the impact, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and partners said in a report published on Thursday.

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Lebanon: At ‘a crossroad between rebound or collapse’

21 Jul 2022

The dire impact of Lebanon’s unrelenting socio-economic crisis prompted the UN Special Coordinator to warn the Security Council behind closed doors on Thursday, that the country stands at “a crossroad between rebound or collapse”.

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UN envoy calls for extension and expansion of ‘transformational’ truce in Yemen

21 Jul 2022

The historic UN-brokered truce in Yemen has largely held for nearly four months, and Special Envoy Hans Grundberg on Thursday urged the Government and Houthi rebels to work towards renewing the “transformational” agreement, which expires on 2 August. 

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UN summit galvanizes action for development agendas in Africa

20 Jul 2022

The development of Africa was spotlighted at a key UN meeting on Wednesday, with attention focused on advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063.    

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Cost of living crisis hits poorest the hardest, warns UNCTAD

19 Jul 2022

Billions of people are facing the greatest cost of living crisis in a generation due to rising food and energy prices amid rapid inflation and increasing debt, leaving the most vulnerable consumers in a dire situation, said the UN trade and development body, UNCTAD on Tuesday.

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‘Moment for Nature’ essential to beat back threats, spur climate action

19 Jul 2022

With less than eight years remaining to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the President of the UN General Assembly convened a ‘Moment for Nature’ debate on Tuesday to examine the interconnected environmental threats hampering efforts to achieve sustainable development. 

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WMO warns of frequent heatwaves in decades ahead

19 Jul 2022

Extreme heat in western Europe is causing devastating wildfires in France and Spain, unprecedented drought in Italy and Portugal, and the United Kingdom recorded its highest-ever temperature of just over 40 degrees Celsius during Tuesday, at London’s Heathrow airport.

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Voluntary repatriation of refugees from Angola to DR Congo resumes

19 Jul 2022

After a two-year hiatus, the voluntary repatriation of refugees from Angola to their homeland in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has begun again, after the programme was put on hold in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic led to long-term border closures.

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UN and partners meet to address ‘critical’ state of global food crisis

18 Jul 2022

Scaling up climate resilience across food systems is among the actions needed to counter rising hunger and malnutrition, UN General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid said on Monday, at a special meeting to address the global food crisis. 

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Record 40°C UK temperatures linked to climate change: WMO

18 Jul 2022

The chances of seeing unprecedented temperatures of 40 degree Celsius (40°C) or more in the UK could be up to 10 times more likely in the current climate than under a “natural climate unaffected by human influence,” the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) declared on Monday.

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From the Field: Afghan earthquake survivors look to rebuild their lives

18 Jul 2022

Afghans caught up in the devastating earthquake that hit the country on June 22, killing more than 1,000 and injured over 6,000 people, are sharing their traumatic stories.

Kenya’s Kuruwitu corals are back, thanks to local conservation drive

17 Jul 2022

A small, quiet village in Kenya has found a new purpose in the fishing industry through a successful marine coral conservation project, the first of its kind in the Marine Protected Areas of the western side of the Indian Ocean.

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Haiti: UN sounds alarm over worsening gang violence across Port-au-Prince

16 Jul 2022

The UN human rights office said on Saturday it was deeply concerned by worsening violence in and around the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince and rising abuse at the hands of heavily armed gangs, against vulnerable local communities.