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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Ethiopia: ‘Heartbreaking’ devastation in Tigray, says UN humanitarian chief  

04 Aug 2021

The new UN Emergency Relief Coordinator ended a six-day mission to Ethiopia with a fresh push to get badly needed food and other supplies into the embattled Tigray region.  

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Donor conference a ‘unique opportunity’ to renew commitment to Lebanon: UN deputy chief

04 Aug 2021

A donor conference to boost support for Lebanon one year after the devastating explosion in its capital, Beirut, represents a “unique opportunity” to renew commitment to the country and prevent a humanitarian catastrophe, the UN Deputy Secretary-General said on Wednesday. 

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Beirut’s youth rebuild the Lebanese capital, brick by brick

04 Aug 2021

Young people in Beirut, which was devastated by an explosion in a warehouse at the city’s port on 4 August 2020, have been pitching in to get the Lebanese capital back on its feet with support from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

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UN chief welcomes ‘historic’ IMF liquidity boost for governments in need

03 Aug 2021

As the COVID-19 crisis continues to exacerbate restrictions on government spending throughout the world, the UN chief on Tuesday welcomed the decision by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to approve a $650 billion allocation of Special Drawing Rights to “boost liquidity”. 

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Afghanistan: UN mission demands end to fighting as Taliban advance

03 Aug 2021

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Tuesday called for an immediate end to fighting in urban areas, as the Taliban continues a ground assault in the south of the country. 

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Families still struggling one year after Beirut explosion: UNICEF

03 Aug 2021

A year after the devastating explosions in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, a staggering 98 per cent of families are still in need, according to a survey published on Tuesday by the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF. 

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Lace up and join the UN to help win #TheHumanRace against climate change

02 Aug 2021

The United Nations is encouraging everyone across the world to participate in the literal race against the climate emergency. 

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A year after the Beirut explosions: a UN Resident Coordinator blog

01 Aug 2021

On August 4th, 2020, a devastating blast in a warehouse destroyed much of the centre of the Lebanese capital, Beirut. Many neighbourhoods were destroyed, downtown Beirut looked like a war zone. Thousands were injured and some 200 people tragically lost their lives on that day and the days that followed. For many, their property and livelihoods were literally blown away.

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Olympic athletes describe the power of sport to change the world

31 Jul 2021

Leading athletes, influencers and innovators have been sharing their thoughts on the role that sport can play in building a better world for all, in UN-led online discussions held to coincide with the Tokyo Olympics.

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Sink or swim: Can island states survive the climate crisis?

31 Jul 2021

Small island nations across the world are bearing the brunt of the climate crisis, and their problems have been accentuated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has severely affected their economies, and their capacity to protect themselves from possible extinction. We take a look at some of the many challenges they face, and how they could be overcome.

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Six months after coup, Myanmar’s political, rights and aid crisis is worsening

30 Jul 2021

It’s been six months since the military coup in Myanmar where there’s grave concern over the widening impact of the deepening political, human rights and humanitarian crisis affecting the country’s people.

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Conflict, COVID, climate crisis, likely to fuel acute food insecurity in 23 ‘hunger hotspots’

30 Jul 2021

Life-saving aid to families on the brink of famine is being cut off in several countries by fighting and blockades, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP) said in a new report issued on Friday.

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100,000 children in Tigray at risk of death from malnutrition: UNICEF 

30 Jul 2021

More than 100,000 children in Tigray, Ethiopia, could suffer from life-threatening severe acute malnutrition in the next 12 months, a tenfold jump over average annual levels, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday. 

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From electric dreams to supercharged reality: the road race to a clean energy future

29 Jul 2021

The global Formula E electric race series, a partner with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP),  has grown in popularity since it launched some seven years ago, attracting the attention of major car manufacturers, changing people’s perceptions of electric vehicles, and bringing the world one step closer to a sustainable transport future.

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Yemen: New World Bank funds offer lifeline to most vulnerable

29 Jul 2021

Three UN agencies on Thursday welcomed $127 million in new funding from the World Bank to provide lifesaving support to some of the country’s most hard hit rural families, struggling under the impact of multiple crises.  

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Food systems transformation a ‘silver lining’ in COVID crisis: UN deputy chief

28 Jul 2021

A sustainable and prosperous planet can only be achieved through working together and in solidarity, the UN Deputy Secretary-General said on Wednesday at the end of a major global food security meeting.

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Bangladesh: Deadly flooding, landslides devastate Rohingya refugees  

28 Jul 2021

Three days of strong winds and heavy monsoon rain on sprawling refugee sites in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar have taken Rohingya refugee lives and wreaked havoc and destruction, the UN refugee agency said on Wednesday.

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Gaza: Humanitarian response underway, but political solutions still needed 

28 Jul 2021

Although the international community is providing urgent assistance to Gaza in the wake of the most recent round of hostilities, a political solution is still needed to end the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, a senior UN official in the region said on Wednesday. 

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Child malnutrition expected to quadruple in Southern Madagascar  

26 Jul 2021

At least half a million children under five in drought-afflicted southern Madagascar are on the verge of acute malnourishment, two UN agencies warned on Monday. 

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Outstanding sites added to UNESCO World Heritage List 

26 Jul 2021

An ancient temple in India and a “cultural landscape” in Spain have become two of the latest sites to be registered on the UN’s prestigious World Heritage List. 

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UN climate science talks open amid heatwaves, floods and drought

26 Jul 2021

Negotiations began on Monday to approve a UN science report which will anchor high level summits later this year, charged with boosting climate action worldwide.

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Support mangrove conservation, UNESCO chief says

26 Jul 2021

The world is waking up to the importance of mangroves, a senior UN official said on Monday, underscoring the need for everyone to support restoration and protection of these crucial habitats. 

Together, we must tackle growing hunger, urges Guterres  

26 Jul 2021

Inefficient global food production is at the root of a huge rise in hunger as well as one-third of all emissions and 80 per cent of biodiversity loss, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned, in a call to all countries to transform food systems to speed up sustainable development. 

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No pathway to reach the Paris Agreement’s 1.5˚C goal without the G20: UN chief

25 Jul 2021

“The world urgently needs a clear and unambiguous commitment to the 1.5 degree goal of the Paris Agreement from all G20 nations”, António Guterres said on Sunday after the Group failed to agree on the wording of key climate change commitments during their last’s week Ministerial Meeting on Environment, Climate and Energy.

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Farmers the ‘lifeblood of our food systems’, deputy UN chief highlights, ahead of key summit

24 Jul 2021

Farmers, especially women and indigenous people, work tirelessly to put food on our tables. UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed met on Saturday women producers at a farmers’ market in Circo Massimo, Rome, ahead of the Food Systems Pre-Summit taking place next week.

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New ECOSOC President aims to maximize ‘reach, relevance and impact’

23 Jul 2021

The role of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in promoting development has become “even more critical” as a way of guiding and informing the COVID-19 pandemic response worldwide, Collen Vixen Kelapile said on Friday, speaking for the first time as the UN body’s president. 

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Lebanon: Public water system on the verge of collapse, UNICEF warns

23 Jul 2021

The public water system in Lebanon is “on life support” and could collapse at any moment, putting 71 per cent of the population, or more than four million people, at immediate risk of losing access to safe supply, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, warned on Friday. 

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Water-related hazards dominate list of 10 most destructive disasters

22 Jul 2021

Against the backdrop of a rapidly changing global climate, water-related hazards top the list of natural disasters with the highest human losses in the past 50 years, according to a new report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

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Tigray: As famine looms, first WFP humanitarian flight arrives 

22 Jul 2021

Lifesaving assistance arrived for the beleaguered Tigray region of Ethiopia on Thursday as the first UN World Food Programme (WFP) plane carrying humanitarian workers touched down in the capital Mekelle. 

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FAO head urges G20 to invest in a healthy planet for healthy food

22 Jul 2021

The head of the UN food relief agency called on the world’s richest nations on Thursday to invest more in sustainable living, to feed the world’s growing population.