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Somalia: Urgent support needed for rural communities facing famine
Famine is fast approaching in Somalia and more than 700,000 people could face starvation next year, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned on Tuesday, citing the latest Integrated Food Security Phase (IPC) analysis.
Iran: US sanctions violating human rights of all living there, say UN experts
US sanctions on Iran are resulting in harm to the country’s environment and preventing everyone there - including migrants and Afghan refugees - from fully enjoying their rights to health and life, and contributing to other factors such as rising
UN envoy reports ‘sharp increase’ in violence this year in Israel-Palestine conflict
More than 150 Palestinians and over 20 Israelis have been killed in the West Bank and Israel so far in 2022 - the highest number of deaths in years, UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland told the Security Council on Monday.
UN conference concludes with ‘historic’ deal to protect a third of the world’s biodiversity
The UN Biodiversity Conference, COP15, concluded early on Monday in Montreal, Canada, with a landmark agreement to protect 30 per cent of the planet’s lands, coastal areas and inland waters by the end of the decade.
Guterres announces ‘no nonsense’ climate action summit; calls for practical solutions
The UN chief said on Monday he was determined to make 2023 “a year for peace” and a “year for action”, highlighting the need for practical solutions to a raft of pressing problems facing all regions of the world.
As biodiversity degrades, nature’s solutions are lost for ever
Humanity faces unprecedented engineering challenges if it is to survive.
Why biodiversity is good for our health
The natural world has gifted humanity with untold health benefits, and it is believed that it harbours many more undiscovered health breakthroughs. However, we risk losing these benefits, if we continue to degrade the environment.
UN emergency relief chief ends Ukraine visit, pledging solidarity
In Ukraine, the UN’s top emergency relief official on Thursday pledged solidarity with the embattled country and its people, as they try to rebuild their lives amid the ongoing war.
Step up investment to ensure water and sanitation access for all
Countries must ramp up investments to provide safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) to all people by 2030, the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners said on Wednesday in a bid to save more lives.
Ukraine: Winter's downward spiral documented by UN agencies
Nine months after Russia invaded Ukraine, rural households are increasingly forced to scale down or abandon agricultural activities, according to a new survey released on Wednesday by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
UN chief ‘deeply saddened’ by flood-triggered deaths in DR Congo
The UN chief is “deeply saddened” by the loss of life and heavy damage triggered in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during the worst floods to hit the country since 2019, his spokesperson said on Wednesday.
UN reproductive health agency appeals for $1.2 billion to support crisis-affected women and girls
Amid rising humanitarian needs worldwide, the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, on Tuesday launched a $1.2 billion appeal to support 66 million women, girls and young people in 65 countries affected by crisis.
Global trade growth turns negative after record year: UNCTAD
Global trade is set to reach almost $32 trillion this year, but inflation has reversed some of the gains made in recent months.
Somalia: Famine narrowly averted – so far, warn UN humanitarians
In Somalia, a full-blown famine has been narrowly averted for now, but the hunger emergency has not gone away, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
UN honours pioneering initiatives to restore ecosystems worldwide
Ten initiatives from around the globe, which together aim to restore more than 68 million hectares of land and coastlines, have been recognized by the UN for their role in preventing and reversing the degradation of natural habitats across the pla
Ukraine: Countries must support resilient recovery to prevent ‘cascade’ of poverty, hunger
The war in Ukraine is a “relentless humanitarian nightmare” said the UN chief on Tuesday, warning that the death and destruction afflicting civilians there will take years to overcome, and rebuild.
World Cup joins team UN to kick-off Universal Health Coverage Day
To mark Universal Health Coverage Day on Monday, the UN is sharing the spotlight with the biggest sporting event in the world this week - the FIFA World Cup semi-finals.
No time to waste, as Haiti famine risk rises, warns UN emergency food aid agency
With armed gangs in charge of key transport routes in Haiti, the country could see famine conditions, unless a robust humanitarian aid plan is put in place, the head of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Haiti, Jean-Martin Bauer, has warned.
More than 11,000 children killed or injured in Yemen conflict: UNICEF
More than 11,000 boys and girls have been killed or injured in the war in Yemen - an average of four a day since fighting escalated in 2015, though the number is likely to be far higher, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has reported.
‘Just Transition’ policies needed to create 20 million green jobs: UN report
Some 20 million jobs could be created by investing in policies that support nature and address climate change, disaster risk, food insecurity, and other major challenges, according to a UN report published on Friday.
‘Just Transition’ policies needed to create 20 million green jobs: UN report
Some 20 million jobs could be created by investing in policies that support nature and address climate change, disaster risk, food insecurity, and other major challenges, according to a UN report published on Friday.
UN Emergency Response Fund, a ‘lifeline of hope’ to meet record needs
As humanitarian needs soar to unprecedented levels, top UN officials on Friday highlighted the importance of the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) in supporting emergencies and responding rapidly to crises.
Countries held the line against malaria cases and deaths in 2021: WHO report
Despite the continued impact of COVID-19, malaria cases and deaths remained stable throughout last year, according to new data released on Thursday by the World Health Organization (WHO).
With ocean in ‘dire straits’, Law of the Sea more relevant than ever: Guterres
The adoption by most nations of the world of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 40 years ago, was a “vital step to bring governance and order” to the vast collective treasure that is the ocean, said the UN chief António Guterres on Thursday.<
UN taps potential for trust-building on shared water resources
A UN-led push for greater cross-border cooperation over increasingly finite water resources, made significant progress on Thursday, after it was announced that more than 30 governments and organizations have decided to work together on the issue.<
UN taps potential for trust-building on shared water resources
A UN-led push for greater cross-border cooperation over increasingly finite water resources, made significant progress on Thursday, after it was announced that more than 30 governments and organizations have decided to work together on the issue.<
Cholera’s continued spread in Haiti a ‘worrying trend’
As cholera continues to spread in Haiti, a $145 million appeal to support the response is only 16 per cent funded, the top UN aid official there reported on Thursday.
UN agencies warn again of record hunger next year in West and Central Africa
The number of hungry people in West and Central Africa could reach a record high of 48 million next year, which should serve as a final “wake-up call” for regional governments to act now, three UN agencies said on Thursday.
UN chief urges governments and business to step up action to protect nature
Governments and the private sector must move to effectively protect the natural environment, Secretary-General António Guterres told journalists covering the UN biodiversity conference, COP15, in Montréal, Canada, on Wednesday.
Drought, conflict force 80,000 Somalis to shelter in Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camps
Tens of thousands of people have sought shelter in recent weeks at Kenya’s Dadaab camps, forced from their homes by extremist violence in neighbouring Somalia and an “unrelenting” drought, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Tuesday.