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
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Commitment to post-pandemic ‘green’ recovery falling short, UN-backed study finds

10 Mar 2021

Countries have fallen short in their commitments to build back better after the COVID-19 pandemic, with just 18 per cent of announced recovery spending going towards ‘green’ investment, according to a new report published on Wednesday by the UN and Oxford University. 

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Food systems account for over one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions

09 Mar 2021

More than one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activity can be attributed to the way we produce, process and package food, a UN-backed study published on Tuesday has revealed. 

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Polar vortex responsible for Texas deep freeze, warm Arctic temperatures

09 Mar 2021

A “polar vortex” was responsible for the freezing conditions in the US state of Texas last month, UN weather experts said on Tuesday, before warning of a worrying increase in global carbon dioxide levels.

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One in three travel destinations still fully closed to international tourists: UN agency

08 Mar 2021

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 new report released by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on Monday.

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Yemen: UN migration agency calls for urgent humanitarian access after ‘horrific’ fire  

08 Mar 2021

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. 

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FROM THE FIELD: The women fighting for Generation Equality

07 Mar 2021

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.

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Women in Europe need ‘greater economic independence’ to avoid poverty: UN Special Rapporteur

06 Mar 2021

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 human rights.

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Wasting food just feeds climate change, new UN environment report warns 

04 Mar 2021

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. 

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UN Development Programme urges temporary basic income for women hit hard by COVID-19 fallout

04 Mar 2021

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. 

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UN report calls for scaling-up carbon capture, use and storage

03 Mar 2021

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.

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Equality in engineering crucial to achieving sustainable development: UN-backed report

03 Mar 2021

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 Organization (UNESCO) and partners. 

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Protect forests, support forest communities, Guterres urges, marking World Wildlife Day

03 Mar 2021

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 trafficking. 

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INTERVIEW: The women activists aiming to make history in Vanuatuan politics

03 Mar 2021

The Republic of Vanuatu is one of the few countries in the world without a single woman representative in parliament, but two determined activists are committed to ending that situation, and ensuring that women’s voices are heard by the island nation’s most senior decision-makers.

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Secretary-General urges countries to end ‘deadly addiction’ to coal

02 Mar 2021

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. 

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First Person: fighting for women’s financial freedom

02 Mar 2021

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. The UN is leading efforts to give women more access to digital financial tools, seen as essential to playing a full part in the global economy.

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Environmental racism in Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’, must end, say UN human rights experts

02 Mar 2021

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 it a form of “environmental racism”. 

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Reflect nature’s ‘true value’ in economic policies and decisions, UN chief urges

02 Mar 2021

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. 

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Yemen pledging conference: Severity of suffering ‘impossible to overstate’ says Guterres 

01 Mar 2021

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 figure raised in 2019.    

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Yemen: UN ceasefire monitoring mission condemns attack on civilians in Hudaydah

01 Mar 2021

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. 

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UNICEF urges repatriation of all children in Syria’s al-Hol camp following deadly fire

28 Feb 2021

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 saw at least three children die, and another 15 injured.

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FROM THE FIELD: Adapting to survive and thrive in Ghana

28 Feb 2021

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.

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First Person: Yemen ‘cannot even afford to worry about the coronavirus’

28 Feb 2021

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 country.

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FROM THE FIELD: Humanitarian crises of concern in 2021

27 Feb 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.

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UN climate report a ‘red alert’ for the planet: Guterres

26 Feb 2021

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 rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, by the end of the century. 

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In Yemen’s man-made catastrophe, women and girls pay the price

26 Feb 2021

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. “She had a prolapsed uterus, and she was severely malnourished.” 

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Relief programmes hit by ongoing crisis in Myanmar, UN humanitarian office says

26 Feb 2021

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 Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Thursday. 

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‘Transparency, sound governance and accountability’ essential to reach Global Goals

25 Feb 2021

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 finance flows. 

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Syria: Economic decline, rising hunger and surging humanitarian needs

25 Feb 2021

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 Thursday. 

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‘Industry 4.0’ tech for post-COVID world, is driving inequality: UNCTAD

25 Feb 2021

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.

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FROM THE FIELD: Millions of Yemenis facing ‘death sentence’

25 Feb 2021

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).