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

UN staff step-up and step-in to support front line heroes battling COVID-19 in New York

19 Apr 2020

A devastating surge in coronavirus cases over the past few weeks in New York City, the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic, has prompted United Nations staff to stand in solidarity with their host city, by stepping up support for healthcare workers and others on the front line. 

Tough times for tourism, but UN travel organization predicts holiday traffic will return

17 Apr 2020

Tourism may have been brought to a near-standstill by COVID-19, but the industry – which accounts for 10 per cent of global GDP – finds itself in a unique position to help put the global economy back on its feet, once the pandemic has passed. 

Africa mobilizing to minimize losses as COVID-19 pandemic continues worldwide advance

15 Apr 2020

From procuring test kits to promoting debt relief, the UN will stand in solidarity with Africa as it braces against the unprecedented economic, social and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Secretary-General António Guterres pledged on Wednesday.  

Migrants among most vulnerable, as IOM ramps up coronavirus response worldwide

15 Apr 2020

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has expanded the scope of its Global Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP), to include far-reaching interventions that aim to mitigate the dire health and socio-economic impacts of the pandemic, the agency said on Wednesday.

COVID-19: Growth forecast at -3 per cent, as IMF offers debt relief to most vulnerable nations in Africa, Asia, Middle East and Caribbean

14 Apr 2020

Forecasting the “worst economic downturn since the Great Depression”, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday that growth for the year was likely to end up at minus three per cent, with a dramatic change evident since the last World Economic Outlook report in January.  

COVID-19: Major relief airlift will reach ‘most vulnerable’ African nations

14 Apr 2020

The first of the UN’s “Solidarity Flights” carrying urgently needed medical equipment to Africa, has arrived in Addis Ababa, agencies said on Tuesday. 

COVID-19 isolation threatens live-saving vaccinations for millions of children globally

13 Apr 2020

As countries around the world continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 117 million children risk missing out on measles vaccines, two UN agencies warned in Geneva on Tuesday.

UN ready to support Pacific countries devastated by Tropical Cyclone Harold

12 Apr 2020

The United Nations stands ready to support four Pacific island nations devastated by the passing of Tropical Cyclone Harold last week.

Coronavirus-driven debt crisis threatens poor countries already at risk, says UN report

09 Apr 2020

As governments struggle to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, billions of people living in countries teetering on the brink of economic collapse are being threatened further by a looming debt crisis, according to a new UN report released on Thursday.

COVID-19 in Yemen: Saudi coalition ceasefire declared in bid to contain coronavirus

09 Apr 2020

A ceasefire declaration by Saudi Arabia in war-shattered Yemen that was due to come into effect on Thursday has been welcomed by United Nations chief António Guterres as a way to promote peace and slow the advance of COVID-19.

Swift rebound for world trade still possible through joint action to thwart coronavirus

08 Apr 2020

Global trade in goods could fall by as much as a third this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but a swift rebound in 2021 is possible if the world’s economic policymakers – working together – act immediately, the World Trade Organization (WTO) said on Wednesday. 

Over 10,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa; Zimbabwe and South Sudan among most vulnerable

08 Apr 2020

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Wednesday that the number of COVID-19 cases in Africa has now risen to more than 10,000, claiming more than 500 lives. 

COVID-19: impact could see 195 million job losses, says ILO chief

08 Apr 2020

The rapidly intensifying economic effects of COVID-19 on the world of work are proving to be far worse than the 2008-9 financial crisis, with cutbacks equivalent to nearly 200 million full-time workers expected in the next three months alone, the UN labour agency said.

Syria: Warring parties failed to abide by international law over hospital attacks

06 Apr 2020

Parties to Syria’s brutal civil war, now in its tenth year, failed to abide by their obligations under international law to avoid attacks on hospitals and other civilian facilities that featured on the UN’s so-called deconfliction list, Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday. 

Prison shelling in Yemen kills five women and a child: UN rights chief condemns possible war crime

06 Apr 2020

The UN has condemned the shelling of the women’s section of the Central Prison in a district of Yemen’s war-torn Taizz Governerate, in the south of the country, which has left at least five women and one child dead, and wounding more than 11, with casualties expected to rise. 

First person: COVID-19 is not a silver lining for the climate, says UN Environment chief

05 Apr 2020

Greenhouse gas emissions are down and air quality has gone up, as governments react to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Inger Andersen, has cautioned against viewing this as a boon for the environment. In this First Person editorial, Ms. Andersen calls instead for a profound, systemic shift to a more sustainable economy that works for both people and the planet.

Coronavirus restrictions hamper aid access for Sudanese in need

03 Apr 2020

The United Nations and its partners are putting in place alternative plans to ensure the continuity of humanitarian assistance in Sudan, as measures taken by the Government to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are having an impact on aid access, deliveries and services.

COVID-19: The global food supply chain is holding up, for now

03 Apr 2020

The unfolding COVID-19 pandemic is so far having little impact on the global food supply chain, but that could change for the worse – and soon – if anxiety-driven panic by major food importers takes hold, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Friday.

COVID-19 crisis ‘unlike any we have dealt with’, as new tragedy looms for Syria

02 Apr 2020

The risk of the COVID-19 pandemic having a devastating impact on war-torn Syria is intensifying, where six million are displaced, living in conditions that make them particularly vulnerable to the deadly virus, the Senior Humanitarian Advisor to the UN Special Envoy to Syria warned on Thursday.

Burkina Faso crisis and COVID-19 concerns highlight pressure on Sahel food security

02 Apr 2020

Food insecurity levels in the Sahel region are “spiralling out of control”, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Thursday, as it expressed concerns about the potential impact on humanitarian supply chains because of restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Key COP26 climate summit postponed to ‘safeguard lives’

02 Apr 2020

With no end in sight to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the UN climate change talks which were due to take place in Scotland later in the year, have been postponed until October 2021.

FROM THE FIELD: Sunny days power a better life for displaced Nigerians

02 Apr 2020

Water boreholes powered by solar energy are helping to improve life for Nigerians displaced by conflict, according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM). 

Coronavirus pandemic threatens to plunge millions in Arab region into poverty and food insecurity

01 Apr 2020

COVID-19 will be responsible for pushing a further 8.3 million people in the Arab region into poverty, according to a new policy brief issued on Wednesday by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).

COVID-19 effect casts cloud over weather alert accuracy: UN sky watchers

01 Apr 2020

UN weather experts warned on Wednesday that the coronavirus pandemic risks disrupting key forecasting services, including early warning alerts around the world.

UN launches COVID-19 plan that could ‘defeat the virus and build a better world’

31 Mar 2020

The UN chief launched on Tuesday a new plan to counter the potentially devasting socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, calling on everyone to “act together to lessen the blow to people”.

UN helps Pacific prepare for COVID-19 pandemic, warns that children are ‘hidden victims’

30 Mar 2020

United Nations agencies are working together to provide vital support to Pacific Island countries as they rally to combat COVID-19 outbreaks across the region. 

$2.5 trillion COVID-19 rescue package needed for world’s emerging economies

30 Mar 2020

The economic fallout from COVID-19 is likely to get “much worse” before it gets better for some six billion people living in developing economies, the UN said on Monday, in an appeal for a $2.5 trillion rescue package to boost their resilience to further hardship. 

First Person: Hawaii’s ‘silver tsunami’: the challenge of caring for kupuna elders

29 Mar 2020

The International Labour Organization (ILO) marked its centenary in 2019 and as part of the commemoration launched a photography project called “Dignity at Work: The American Experience” to document the working life of people across the United States. UN News joined the ILO on a visit to the US state of Hawaii. 

First Person: False promises in Mauritania

28 Mar 2020

Women and girls face particular challenges as migrants, whatever their reason for leaving their country of origin. UN agencies are learning more about these difficulties, and how to address them.

UNFPA advocates for women, girls suffering unseen impacts of COVID-19 pandemic

27 Mar 2020

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is pledging support for those suffering from invisible impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including women and girls whose access to life-saving sexual and reproductive health care may be disrupted.