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.

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UN Women’s feminist roadmap tackles triple crises of jobs, care and climate 

16 Sep 2021

The UN’s gender equality and empowerment organization on Thursday published a flagship feminist plan for economic recovery and transformation, which aims to learn the lessons of the past, and seize the opportunity to handle COVID-related crises better.

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Act now to slow climate change and protect the planet, urges UN chief

16 Sep 2021

The ozone layer – a fragile shield of gas that protects the Earth from the harmful rays of the sun – is “on the road to recovery”, the UN chief said on Thursday in his message for the World Ozone Day.

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‘Tipping point’ for climate action: Time’s running out to avoid catastrophic heating

16 Sep 2021

The temporary reduction in carbon emissions caused by global COVID-19 lockdowns did not slow the relentless advance of climate change. Greenhouse gas concentrations are at record levels, and the planet is on path towards dangerous overheating, a multi-agency climate report published on Thursday warns. 

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Syria ‘caught in a downward spiral’ UN relief chief tells Security Council 

15 Sep 2021

The UN humanitarian affairs chief warned on Wednesday that Syria, after more than a decade of war, remains “caught in a downward spiral” and that “the country will continue to be a place of tragedy, so long as the conflict continues.” 

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New South Sudan Parliament can ‘infuse urgency’ into peace process

15 Sep 2021

South Sudan has made history with the appointment of two women to senior leadership positions within its Transitional National Legislature, the top United Nations official in the country told the Security Council on Wednesday, as he encouraged parties to build on these gains in efforts to overcome significant political and security headwinds.

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Eating wild meat significantly increases zoonotic disease risk: UN report 

15 Sep 2021

The domestic consumption of meat from wild animals has significant impacts on most species protected under the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), says a new report released on Wednesday, including increasing the risk of diseases spreading from animals to humans.  

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Global economy projected to show fastest growth in 50 years 

15 Sep 2021

The global economy is expected to bounce back this year with growth of 5.3 per cent, the fastest in nearly five decades, according to the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

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First humanitarian flight to Kabul marks 'turning point' in crisis: WFP 

14 Sep 2021

The return of humanitarian flights to Kabul since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan is a turning point in the crisis, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday. 

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Most agricultural funding distorts prices, harms environment: UN report 

14 Sep 2021

Around 87% of the $540 billion in total annual government support given worldwide to agricultural producers includes measures that are price distorting and that can be harmful to nature and health.  

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$1 billion pledge a ‘quantum leap’ in commitment to Afghanistan: UN chief

13 Sep 2021

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday hailed significant international financial support pledged to the people of Afghanistan following a meeting in Geneva, which nearly doubled the initial $606 million flash appeal for the country.

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South Sudan: Cash shortage triggers food suspensions for 100,000 displaced

13 Sep 2021

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Monday that beginning next month, funding shortages will force it to suspend lifesaving food assistance for more than 100,000 displaced people in parts of South Sudan until the start of 2022.

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Support Afghans in their most perilous hour, urges UN’s Guterres

13 Sep 2021

The international community should urgently offer a “lifeline” to millions of vulnerable Afghans “who face perhaps their most perilous hour”, the UN Secretary-General said on Monday.

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Guterres: South-South cooperation ‘more essential than ever’ 

10 Sep 2021

The UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) held a high-level virtual panel discussion on Friday focused on boosting solidarity “in support of a more inclusive, resilient and sustainable future”. 

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Yemen: As conflict drags on, ‘no quick wins’ – UN envoy

10 Sep 2021

The complexities of the years-long war in Yemen “multiply as the conflict drags on”, the country’s new UN envoy told the Security Council on Friday, adding that he was “under no illusions about the difficulty of the task” at hand.

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Hunger spikes in Haiti following deadly earthquake

09 Sep 2021

Around 980,000 Haitians in the four districts most affected by the August 14 earthquake are now living with acute food insecurity, according to new UN food security data released on Thursday. 

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COVID-19: ‘Unacceptable’ deals and delays, hampering lifesaving COVAX deliveries 

08 Sep 2021

While 80 per cent of citizens in high and upper-middle income nations have had a dose of COVID-19 vaccine, that figure stands at just 20 per cent for those living below the top tiers, according to a joint statement issued by UN and partner agencies, responsible for the multilateral COVAX initiative to provide equal access for all. 

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Climate action: Guterres hails Latin American and Caribbean leadership 

08 Sep 2021

The UN chief on Wednesday commended the leadership of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on climate action. 

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From locusts to cyclones: the human cost of interlinked disasters

08 Sep 2021

Many extreme environmental events have a devastating effect on people’s lives, and a new UN report reveals that many of them are linked by the same underlying causes. On the day the study is released, we look at the impact of a locust swarm on a Kenyan farmer, and the ways that Cyclone Amphan affected an Indian worker.

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Human activity the common link between disasters around the world, says UN report

08 Sep 2021

Disasters such as cyclones, floods, and droughts are more connected than we might think, and human activity is the common thread, a UN report released on Wednesday reveals.

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UN warns of ‘urgent imperative’ to avoid acute Afghan food insecurity 

07 Sep 2021

With food aid running out, Afghanistan is facing the collapse of basic services, said UN agencies on Tuesday, releasing a flash appeal for more than $600 million to support around 11 million across the crisis-wracked country to the end of the year.  

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‘Unprecedented funding gap’ for 7 million facing hunger in Ethiopia: WFP 

07 Sep 2021

The World Food Programme (WFP) is facing an unprecedented funding gap of $426 million for its operation in Ethiopia, as the UN agency ramps up delivery to meet the needs of up to 12 million people this year. 

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Blue sky thinking: 5 things to know about air pollution

07 Sep 2021

Around 90 per cent of people go through their daily lives breathing harmful polluted air, which has been described by the United Nations as the most important health issue of our time. To mark the first International Day of Clean Air for blue skies, on 7 September, UN News explains how bad it is and what is being done to tackle it.

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Drop coal or climate change will ‘wreak havoc’ across economy, Australia told

06 Sep 2021

Climate change will “wreak havoc” across the Australian economy if coal is not rapidly phased out, a senior UN official warned on Monday. 

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Climate action essential to cool ‘season of fire and floods’ worldwide: Deputy UN chief 

06 Sep 2021

With extreme weather events increasingly impacting countries across the world, the deputy UN chief on Monday underlined the importance of limiting temperature rise to the internationally agreed goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. 

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Afghanistan: UN humanitarian chief calls for ‘rights…well-being’ of women

05 Sep 2021

Women in Afghanistan play a “critical role” in delivering aid, the UN Humanitarian told the leadership of the Taliban in Kabul on Sunday, calling on all parties to “ensure their rights, safety and well-being”.

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Syria: Prevent ‘entire generation from being lost’, urges UN humanitarian chief

04 Sep 2021

Some 13.4 million Syrians throughout the beleaguered country are in need of assistance, the UN humanitarian office said on Saturday, calling for “greater access and expanded funding”, to better help them.

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FROM THE FIELD: Bringing aid to Haiti, a country at breaking point

04 Sep 2021

Humanitarian workers supporting relief efforts in Haiti following the devastation caused by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake, are contending with widespread insecurity, including gang violence, as well as logistical challenges, as they try to reach hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people.

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Haiti earthquake: Waterborne disease poses new threat to children

03 Sep 2021

A crippling earthquake followed by plummeting rains have put some 540,000 children in southwest Haiti at risk of life-threatening waterborne diseases, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned.

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‘Major’ humanitarian crisis looms in Afghanistan, UNHCR warns  

03 Sep 2021

A major humanitarian crisis is looming in Afghanistan, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, warned again on Friday, amid ongoing uncertainty about the situation for vulnerable Afghans seeking shelter across the country's borders. 

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Lebanon: Almost three-quarters of the population living in poverty 

03 Sep 2021

Poverty in Lebanon has drastically increased over the past year and now affects about 74% of the population, warned the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) on Friday.