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
Image

Winners of 2023 UN Human Rights Prize Announced

20 Jul 2023

The President of the General Assembly Csaba Kőrösi on Thursday announced the winners of the prestigious United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights for 2023. 

Image

International Moon Day gives boost to peaceful cooperation in space

20 Jul 2023

The UN celebrated the second ever annual International Moon Day on Thursday, promoting ongoing international cooperation in the peaceful use of outer space while also honouring historic achievements in space exploration.

Image

Ukraine: Guterres ‘strongly condemns’ Russian attacks on Odesa and other ports

20 Jul 2023

Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday strongly condemned Russian attacks on Odesa and other Ukrainian ports in recent days, following Moscow’s decision to withdraw from the UN-brokered Black Sea Initiative earlier this week. 

Image

First Person: Ukrainian ‘city of heroes’ plans post-invasion future

20 Jul 2023

The mayor of a city in southern Ukraine has described its inhabitants as “heroes” and has pledged the city will emerge from the full-scale invasion of his country as a model for other urban areas devastated by the war, even as residents cope with an overnight attack on Thursday.

Image

First Person: Ukrainian ‘city of heroes’ plans post-invasion future

20 Jul 2023

The mayor of a city in southern Ukraine has described its inhabitants as “heroes” and has pledged the city will emerge from the full-scale invasion of his country as a model for other urban areas devastated by the war, even as residents cope with an overnight attack on Thursday.

Image

Behind at halftime, but all still to play for in race to 2030 as top political forum closes

19 Jul 2023

This year’s High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) concluded in New York on Wednesday, laying the groundwork for the crucial SDG Summit in September. 

Image

Guterres launches latest report on youth participation at the UN

19 Jul 2023

Youth participation in global decision-making processes must be the norm and not the exception, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday. 

Image

Don’t play ‘geopolitical games’ with vulnerable lives, urges UN Assembly President

19 Jul 2023

Life-saving relief programmes should not be held hostage by political interests, the President of the General Assembly said on Wednesday, as Member States gathered to debate the use of the veto by a permanent member of the Security Council, that halted vital cross-border aid last week into northern Syria. 

Image

Behind at halftime, but all still to play for in race to 2030 goals as top political forum closes

19 Jul 2023

This year’s High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) concluded in New York on Wednesday, laying the groundwork for the crucial SDG Summit in September. 

Image

Sudan: Conflict displaces nearly 200,000 alone in the past week

18 Jul 2023

Nearly 200,000 people were displaced by fighting inside Sudan over the past week, the UN reported on Tuesday, citing new figures released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). 

Image

Ukraine: Do not play with nuclear Armageddon, warns UN Assembly President

18 Jul 2023

Targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine and threats of use of nuclear weapons, severely undermines trust “within and in our institution”, the President of the UN General Assembly said on Tuesday. 

Image

Mandela’s legacy thrives as today's blueprint for prisoners’ rights

18 Jul 2023

Adamu* got two years for stealing in Nigeria, Denny is serving five years in Indonesia, and Lauro José dos Santos served a 12-year sentence in Brazil, but ongoing reform efforts rooted in the “Mandela Rules” and a range of UN-supported programmes are helping them and prisoners around the world get a second chance upon their release.

Image

Health risks on the rise as heatwave intensifies across Europe: WMO

18 Jul 2023

The dangers associated with the heatwave that’s engulfing the northern hemisphere aren’t over yet, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned on Tuesday.

Image

Halfway to 2030, world ‘nowhere near’ reaching Global Goals, UN warns

17 Jul 2023

The world is “woefully off track” to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the 2030 deadline, top United Nations officials said on Monday, as ministers and policy makers gathered in New York to examine how countries can get back on track and make the transformative development agenda a reality.

Image

WFP forced to slash food aid as half of all Haitians go hungry

17 Jul 2023

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has been compelled to reduce the number of people receiving emergency food assistance in Haiti due to a lack of funding, affecting around 100,000 people, the agency reported on Monday. 

Image

UN chief regrets Russia’s decision to withdraw from grain deal

17 Jul 2023

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday that he deeply regrets Russia’s decision to terminate the Black Sea Initiative, in effect ending a “lifeline” for hundreds of millions worldwide facing hunger and spiralling food costs. 

Image

Sudan: ‘We cannot work under the barrel of a gun,’ UN relief chief says

15 Jul 2023

Warring factions in Sudan must respect international law, protect civilians, and stop targeting relief and aid workers, the United Nations top humanitarian official urged on Saturday, as the conflict reached its three-month mark.

Image

Extreme weather highlights need for greater climate action: WMO

14 Jul 2023

Scorching temperatures are engulfing large parts of the Northern hemisphere, while devastating floods triggered by relentless rainfall have disrupted lives and livelihoods, underscoring the urgent need for more climate action, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Friday.

Image

Urban planning must factor in needs of migrants, sustainable development forum hears

13 Jul 2023

With two thirds of the world’s population likely living in urban areas by 2050, the UN’s High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Thursday turned the spotlight on the sustainable development of cities.

Image

Sudan: Emergency seed distribution campaign underway as fighting continues

13 Jul 2023

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Thursday launched an emergency seed distribution campaign in Sudan, ensuring farmers and their families have the necessary resources to meet food production needs amid the on-going conflict between rival military forces.

Image

UN issues global alert to combat severe sand and dust storms

12 Jul 2023

Severe sand and dust storms (SDS) are becoming increasingly common, with UN climate experts attributing the rise to human-driven causes such as climate change and unsustainable farming practices. To combat this, the UN has designated 12 July its first-ever International Day of Combatting Sand and Dust Storms.

Image

Türk: Accountability needed for ‘shocking’ violations by Russian forces in Ukraine

12 Jul 2023

The continuing lack of accountability for the violations and abuses committed by Russian forces in Ukraine is deeply concerning, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said on Wednesday. 

Image

In Nigeria, UN deputy chief and Malala champion girls’ right to education

12 Jul 2023

More than 120 million girls are out of school and the world must do more to ensure they can get an education, Nobel laureate and UN Messenger of Peace Malala Yousafzai said in Abuja, Nigeria on Wednesday, her 26th birthday. 

Image

Hunger afflicts one in ten globally, UN report finds

12 Jul 2023

As many as 783 million people faced hunger worldwide in 2022 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, repeated weather shocks and conflicts, including in Ukraine, according to a study launched by five United Nations agencies on Wednesday.

Image

‘Crushing’ debt crisis spells development disaster for billions: UN chief

12 Jul 2023

Half of humanity lives in countries that are forced to spend more on servicing their debt than on health and education, which is nothing less than a development disaster, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday.

Image

‘Crushing’ debt crisis spells development disaster for billions: UN chief

12 Jul 2023

Half of humanity lives in countries that are forced to spend more on servicing their debt than on health and education, which is nothing less than a development disaster, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday.

Image

Hunger afflicts one in ten globally, UN report finds

12 Jul 2023

As many as 783 million people faced hunger worldwide in 2022 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, repeated weather shocks and conflicts, including in Ukraine, according to a study launched by five United Nations agencies on Wednesday.

Image

Rapid poverty reduction in some countries, data missing in many others

11 Jul 2023

Twenty five countries, including some of the world’s biggest economies, have halved their poverty indices, but lack of post-COVID-19 pandemic data obscures the situation facing almost a billion people globally, a new United Nations-University of Oxford study has found. 

Image

Major boost needed to reach 2030 water, sanitation and hygiene goals

11 Jul 2023

Despite some progress, billions worldwide still lack access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene; a situation exacerbated by water scarcity caused by conflicts and climate change. On Tuesday, the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) discussed the key role of water in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Image

Türk calls for respect as rights council urgently debates Quran burnings

11 Jul 2023

The UN’s top human rights official urged respect for religious tolerance on Tuesday as Member States gathered in Geneva in response to the recent burning of the holy Quran in the Swedish capital.