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One in three travel destinations still fully closed to international tourists: UN agency
Around a third of 217 world travel destinations surveyed remain completely closed to international tourists, as concerns grow over the impact of new coronavirus variants, and some governments reverse efforts to ease restrictions, according to a ne
Yemen: UN migration agency calls for urgent humanitarian access after ‘horrific’ fire
The UN migration agency (IOM) on Monday called for “urgent humanitarian access” to an overcrowded migrant detention centre in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, where a deadly fire reportedly led to multiple deaths at the facility at the weekend.
FROM THE FIELD: The women fighting for Generation Equality
It will take around 130 years to reach gender parity in key areas such as politics and the boardroom, but 13 extraordinary women, who have been profiled in a UN exhibition are showing how opportunities can be created for all women and girls.
Women in Europe need ‘greater economic independence’ to avoid poverty: UN Special Rapporteur
Women in Europe should be given “greater economic independence” through equal pay, childcare support and the sharing of domestic duties to ensure that they do not fall into poverty, according to the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and hum
Wasting food just feeds climate change, new UN environment report warns
More than 930 million tonnes of food sold in 2019 landed in waste bins, according to new UN research, released on Thursday, in support of global efforts to halve food waste by 2030.
UN Development Programme urges temporary basic income for women hit hard by COVID-19 fallout
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has called for temporary basic income for millions of the world’s poorest women, to help them cope with effects of coronavirus pandemic and alleviate the economic pressures they face every day.
UN report calls for scaling-up carbon capture, use and storage
Trapping and storing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil power generation and industry is needed urgently to achieve carbon neutrality, the UN’s Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) said in a report published on Wednesday.
Equality in engineering crucial to achieving sustainable development: UN-backed report
Regional disparities in engineering, especially in Africa, must be addressed if the world is to realize a common future where no one is left behind, according to a report issued on Wednesday by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizat
Protect forests, support forest communities, Guterres urges, marking World Wildlife Day
The United Nations Secretary-General on Wednesday called on people and governments everywhere to step up efforts to protect forests and support forest communities, under increasing threat from unsustainable use of forest resources and wildlife tra
Secretary-General urges countries to end ‘deadly addiction’ to coal
The world still has a “fighting chance” to limit global warming by ending dependence on coal, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told representatives from governments, local authorities and the private sector, meeting online on Tuesday.
First Person: fighting for women’s financial freedom
Around the world, the opportunities for women to lead successful, financially secure lives are being limited by government legislation, company policies and deep-rooted misogyny.
Environmental racism in Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’, must end, say UN human rights experts
The further industrialization of so-called “Cancer Alley” in the southern United States, known for its pollution-emitting chemical plants, should be halted according to a large group of independent UN human rights experts, who on Tuesday branded i
Reflect nature’s ‘true value’ in economic policies and decisions, UN chief urges
Nations must start weighing up the cost of economic profit against damage to the environment if they are to have a chance at a sustainable future, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday.
Yemen pledging conference: Severity of suffering ‘impossible to overstate’ says Guterres
The international response to Monday’s High-Level Pledging Event on Yemen has been described as “disappointing” by the UN chief, announcing that pledges totalled less than last year’s humanitarian response, and a billion dollars less than the figu
Yemen: UN ceasefire monitoring mission condemns attack on civilians in Hudaydah
The United Nations Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA), on Sunday, strongly condemned an attack in Yemen that killed five civilians, including a woman and child.
UNICEF urges repatriation of all children in Syria’s al-Hol camp following deadly fire
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Sunday urged all countries to repatriate and safely reintegrate their young nationals being held at Syria’s largest camp for refugees and internally-displaced, following a deadly weekend fire at Al-Hol camp which
FROM THE FIELD: Adapting to survive and thrive in Ghana
In the West African country of Ghana, many people from farming backgrounds are forced to find new ways to survive, as droughts, floods and erratic weather patterns upend age-old agricultural practices.
First Person: Yemen ‘cannot even afford to worry about the coronavirus’
In Yemen, whose people are living through a long-running, brutal war, which has led to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, COVID-19 is far from being a top priority, says the top UN refugee agency (UNHCR) official in the Arabian Peninsula count
FROM THE FIELD: Humanitarian crises of concern in 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has dominated much of the world’s attention over the last 12 months, but many other crises will continue to require the urgent attention of the UN and the international community in 2021.
UN climate report a ‘red alert’ for the planet: Guterres
Nations are “nowhere close” to the level of action needed to fight global warming, a UN climate action report said on Friday, urging countries to adopt stronger and more ambitious plans to reach the Paris Agreement goals, and limit the temperature
In Yemen’s man-made catastrophe, women and girls pay the price
Midwife Lena Al-Shurmani, remembers meeting Abia at Al Mawa Camp in Yemen’s Ibb Governorate. Abia was 15 years old and eight months pregnant. “I was very worried,” Ms. Al-Shurmani recalled.
Relief programmes hit by ongoing crisis in Myanmar, UN humanitarian office says
The political unrest in Myanmar has impacted the ability of humanitarians to respond to the needs of vulnerable communities, including internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country’s conflict-affected areas, the UN Office for Coordination of
‘Transparency, sound governance and accountability’ essential to reach Global Goals
Financial integrity is “paramount to the success of the 2030 Agenda”, the President of the UN General Assembly said on Thursday, launching a new report that offers a blueprint to address a range of obstacles, particularly surrounding illicit finan
Syria: Economic decline, rising hunger and surging humanitarian needs
Syria’s fragile economy has “suffered multiple shocks” over the past 18 months, with its currency plummeting and joblessness swelling as people struggle to cover their basic needs, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator told the Security Council on T
‘Industry 4.0’ tech for post-COVID world, is driving inequality: UNCTAD
Developing countries must embrace ground-breaking technologies that have been a critical tool in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, or else face even greater inequalities than before, UN economic development experts at UNCTAD said on Thursday.
FROM THE FIELD: Millions of Yemenis facing ‘death sentence’
Yemen remains the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, and the situation for the millions of affected people is deteriorating, says the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
UN to review deadly convoy attack in DR Congo which led to Italian Ambassador’s death
The World Food Programme (WFP) has provided further information on the deadly convoy attack in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Monday in which Italy’s Ambassador to the country, his bodyguard, and a WFP driver were killed.
Climate crisis and economic shocks leave millions food insecure across Central America
Reporting that hunger has increased almost fourfold in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua in the past two years, the World Food Programme (WFP) on Tuesday warned that 1.7 million people are in the ‘emergency’ category of food insecurit
Climate crisis and economic shocks leave millions food insecure across Central America
Reporting that hunger has increased almost fourfold in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua in the past two years, the World Food Programme (WFP) on Tuesday warned that 1.7 million people are in the ‘emergency’ category of food insecurit
World risks ‘collapse of everything’ without strong climate action, Attenborough warns Security Council
More collective action is needed to address the risks climate change poses to global peace and security, the UN Secretary-General told a high-level Security Council debate on Tuesday, as renowned natural historian David Attenborough warned ambassa