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
Image

World population to reach 8 billion this year, as growth rate slows

11 Jul 2022

15 November 2022 is predicted to be the day that the global population reaches eight billion. The projection is revealed in the UN’s World Population Prospects 2022 report, which also shows that India is on course to surpass China as the world’s most populous country in 2023.

Image

From fighting to farming: Supporting peacebuilding in Mozambique

10 Jul 2022

As Mozambique looks to move on from its violent past, a UN-led programme is supporting efforts to reintegrate former combatants, and give them a chance to lead productive, peaceful lives in their communities.

Image

‘Common game plan’ needed to address DR Congo displacement crisis: A Resident Coordinator blog

09 Jul 2022

Over the last 10 years, the number of people around the world who have been forced to flee their homes and become displaced in their own countries, has more than doubled. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the increase in internally displaced persons (IDPs) has been particularly stark, as Resident Coordinator Bruno Lemarquis, the senior UN official there, explains.

Image

All rural workers deserve social protection coverage: New ILO report

07 Jul 2022

Social protection for rural workers “remains a dream”, according to a report launched in Geneva on Thursday by the Bureau for Workers' Activities (ACTRAV), part of the UN’s International Labour Organization (ILO).

Image

Ukraine struggling now, but winter will be even worse: UNHCR chief

07 Jul 2022

While the Russian military advance in eastern Ukraine continues to escalate, the UN refugee agency, UNCHR, on Thursday warned that the winter months are very likely to be extremely harsh on millions of people affected by the war.

Image

Record inflation and skyrocketing prices leave over 6 million Sri Lankans food insecure 

06 Jul 2022

In the face of record food price inflation, skyrocketing fuel costs and widespread commodity shortages, some 6.26 million Sri Lankans, or three in 10 households, are unsure of where their next meal is coming from, according to the latest food insecurity assessment from the World Food Programme (WFP), released on Wednesday. 

Image

World is moving backwards on eliminating hunger and malnutrition, UN report reveals

06 Jul 2022

The number of people affected by hunger globally rose to as many as 828 million in 2021, according to a new UN report that provides fresh evidence that the world is moving in reverse, away from the Sustainable Development Goal of ending hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms, by 2030, when the SDGs are supposed to be realized.

Image

ECOSOC President champions optimism ‘against all odds’ at key UN development conference

05 Jul 2022

Harnessing partnerships to create a world of “peace and prosperity” that protects people and planet, is the main goal of a key annual development forum that started on Tuesday, the President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Collen Kelapile, has said.

Image

UN needs $68.4 million to help Central African Republic where 2.2 million are acutely food insecure

05 Jul 2022

A sharp increase in essential goods in the Central African Republic (CAR) linked to war in Ukraine will likely have a devastating impact on the already dire humanitarian situation there in coming weeks, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday.

Image

2030 development agenda ‘fails’ on racial equality and non-discrimination

05 Jul 2022

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are characterized by a “shallow commitment” to racial justice and equality, an independent UN-appointed rights expert told the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday, adding that they fail to address systematic racism and xenophobia.   

Image

Suriname gives ‘hope and inspiration to the world to save our rainforests’: UN chief 

02 Jul 2022

Suriname might be the smallest and least populated country in South America, but it is also one of the greenest. Considered a global leader in biodiversity conservation, with more than 90 per cent of its land surface covered by native forests, the nation’s unrivaled natural resources more than make up for its size. 

UN Ocean Conference ends with call for greater ambition and global commitment to address dire state of the Ocean

01 Jul 2022

Following a week of discussions and events in Lisbon, Portugal, the UN Ocean Conference concluded on Friday, with governments and heads of state agreeing on a new political declaration to Save Our Ocean.

Image

As global food and fuel crisis deepens, Lebanon’s crisis is affecting ‘everyone, everywhere’

01 Jul 2022

Veteran UN aid coordinator Najat Rochdi on Friday signalled grave concerns about rising humanitarian needs across Lebanon linked to the global food and fuel crisis, which are affecting “everyone, everywhere”.

Image

With mangrove conservation, Kenya’s coastal communities plant seeds of sustainable ‘blue growth’

30 Jun 2022

The southern ocean border of Kenya and Tanzania is dotted with thick hedges of mangroves – indispensable carbon sinks and spectacular ecosystems teeming with life – that appear to float dreamlike over creek beds and mudflats. These hardy trees and shrubs, and the communities that depend on them, are getting a major boost from UN-backed restoration plans that are also helping to reduce poverty and build economic resilience.

US Supreme Court ruling on environmental protection ‘a setback in our fight against climate change’

30 Jun 2022

The ruling by the United States Supreme Court against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday, is “a setback in our fight against climate change” said the UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.

Image

New UN financing initiative goes live to power climate action

30 Jun 2022

A new UN-led financing tool to strengthen weather and climate forecasting, improve life-saving early warning systems, safeguard jobs, and underpin climate adaptation for long-term resilience, officially opened for business on Thursday.

Image

Save lives, support development, and ‘steer our world to safer roads ahead’: Guterres 

30 Jun 2022

Road traffic accidents claim nearly 1.3 million lives each year, cost some countries up to three per cent of their annual GDP, and are the biggest killer of five to 29-year olds globally, the UN General Assembly President told a High-level Meeting on Improving Global Road Safety on Thursday.

Image

Ukraine: Four months after Russian invasion, humanitarian needs intensify

30 Jun 2022

Across Ukraine, the scale of needs caused by Russia's invasion is still massive and human rights concerns persist, UN humanitarians said in an update on Thursday, as they repeated calls for access to the country's Black Sea ports to export vitally needed cereals.

Image

Syria’s needs are at their highest ever, says top rights probe 

29 Jun 2022

Syria’s humanitarian needs are at their highest ever and any move to block aid from reaching the war-torn country should be resisted strongly, a top UN Human Rights Council probe said on Wednesday. 

Image

Flight from cities due to COVID-19 short-lived, says flagship UN-Habitat report

29 Jun 2022

A new United Nations report says that rapid urbanization was only temporarily delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the global urban population back on track to grow by another 2.2 billion people by 2050.

Image

A visionary ‘blue transformation’ strategy to enhance underwater food systems

29 Jun 2022

Record levels of fisheries and aquaculture production are making a critical contribution to global food security, the UN Ocean Conference under way in Lisbon, Portugal, heard on Wednesday.

Image

Sustainable blue economy vital for small countries and coastal populations

28 Jun 2022

With the livelihoods of about 40 per cent of the world’s population living at or near a coast, the second day of the UN Ocean Conference under way in Lisbon focused on strengthening sustainable ocean-based economies, managing coastal ecosystems.

Image

Sustainable blue economy critical to small countries and coastal populations

28 Jun 2022

With the livelihoods of about 40 per cent of the world’s population living at or near a coast, the second day of the UN Ocean Conference under way in Lisbon focused on strengthening sustainable ocean-based economies, managing coastal ecosystems.

Image

Ukraine: Dozens dead and injured as UN condemns ‘utterly deplorable’ shopping centre attack

27 Jun 2022

At least ten people have reportedly been killed by what Ukrainian authorities have said was a Russian missile strike on a crowded shopping centre, and attack which the UN condemned on Monday as “utterly deplorable”.

Image

Tackling marine pollution: Individual action, key to ocean restoration

27 Jun 2022

On Monday, thousands of people gathered at Altice Arena in Lisbon, Portugal, for the first day of the long-awaited UN Ocean Conference. Riding on the global momentum generated by the event, experts are pushing for a new international commitment to combat pollution, including at sea.

Image

Put women’s rights ‘front and centre’ of climate policies: Bachelet

27 Jun 2022

Although climate change threatens everyone, women and girls often suffer its harshest and most violent consequences, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Monday. 

Image

Guterres outlines four recommendations to help us all ‘Save Our Ocean’

27 Jun 2022

At the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon on Monday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged the international community to commit and unite around the protection and preservation of our seas.

Image

Exploring the largest ocean reef restoration project in the Americas: ‘One Million Corals for Colombia’

27 Jun 2022

The marine treasures of Colombia are often overlooked, as the country is known more for its mountains and the colourful towns that dot its coffee region. But just below the waves, a vibrant undersea world with over a thousand square kilometres of coral reef awaits those who take the plunge.

Image

Inclusive cities critical to post-pandemic recovery: Guterres

26 Jun 2022

Making cities more inclusive must be part of global efforts to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a message to the World Urban Forum, which opened in Katowice, Poland, on Sunday.

Image

Countries urged to ‘dig deep’ and support Afghanistan in aftermath of deadly earthquake

26 Jun 2022

The top UN official in Afghanistan appealed on Sunday for greater international support for the country, following a one-day visit to communities hit hard by the devastating earthquake on Wednesday.