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
Fight against global hunger set back 15 years, warns UN report

Fight against global hunger set back 15 years, warns UN report

24 Jul 2024

Progress fighting global hunger has been set back 15 years, leaving around 733 million people going hungry in 2023, equivalent to one in 11 people globally and one in five in Africa, according to the latest UN State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report, published Wednesday.

Image
Sudan war: Nearly 26 million going hungry due to rising food prices, access challenges

Sudan war: Nearly 26 million going hungry due to rising food prices, access challenges

23 Jul 2024

Nearly 26 million people in war-torn Sudan are not getting enough to eat, the UN reported on Tuesday, citing its humanitarian affairs office, OCHA. 

Image
UN and partners launch emergency appeal to address severe drought in Malawi

UN and partners launch emergency appeal to address severe drought in Malawi

23 Jul 2024

UN agencies alongside humanitarian partners in Malawi have launched a Flash Appeal to help millions in the country stricken by drought that has decimated harvests and sent hunger levels soaring.

Image
Yemen: UN envoy warns of threat of return to ‘full-fledged war’ as regional tensions escalate

Yemen: UN envoy warns of threat of return to ‘full-fledged war’ as regional tensions escalate

23 Jul 2024

Yemen is at risk of returning to full-scale war and the international community has a common interest and responsibility to stop this from happening, UN Special Envoy for the country Hans Grundberg warned the Security Council on Tuesday. 

Image
Attacks on civilians in Burkina Faso force thousands into neighbouring Niger

Attacks on civilians in Burkina Faso force thousands into neighbouring Niger

23 Jul 2024

Renewed attacks on civilians in eastern Burkina Faso by non-State armed groups have forced thousands to flee to neighbouring Niger in search of safety, amid a deepening emergency, UN humanitarians have warned.

Image
Forests face increasing risk of wildfires and pests due to climate change

Forests face increasing risk of wildfires and pests due to climate change

22 Jul 2024

The world’s forests are becoming increasingly susceptible to wildfires and pests due to climate change, according to a new report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), released Monday. 

Image
UN Special Envoy warns of escalation risk in Syria

UN Special Envoy warns of escalation risk in Syria

22 Jul 2024

The threat of regional conflict affecting Syria has not abated, particularly in the face of recent Israeli strikes on the war-torn country, UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen told the Security Council on Monday. 

Image
UN leaders urge ‘maximum political will’ to rescue SDGs

UN leaders urge ‘maximum political will’ to rescue SDGs

22 Jul 2024

Top UN officials on Monday called for urgent reforms to the international financial system to boost efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

Image
‘Entire social fabric’ unravelling in Haiti as displacement continues

‘Entire social fabric’ unravelling in Haiti as displacement continues

20 Jul 2024

The entire social fabric of families is unraveling in Haiti as displacement in the country reaches record numbers due largely to insecurity and gang-related violence, according to Abdoulaye Sawadogo, head of the UN’s humanitarian coordination office, OCHA, in the Caribbean island nation.

Image
Exclusive: A look into the lives of Palestine refugees in Lebanon awaiting a solution to their plight

Exclusive: A look into the lives of Palestine refugees in Lebanon awaiting a solution to their plight

19 Jul 2024

On the outskirts of Lebanon’s second capital, Tripoli, lies a Palestinian refugee camp that is almost as old as their plight itself.

Image
Boost for UNRWA as UK decides to restore funding

Boost for UNRWA as UK decides to restore funding

19 Jul 2024

The head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees UNRWA welcomed the decision by the United Kingdom on Friday to resume funding of the agency “at a critical time, as the agency continues to come under harsh and unprecedented attacks”.

Image
Sudan aid obstacles impact lifesaving relief effort

Sudan aid obstacles impact lifesaving relief effort

19 Jul 2024

Heavy fighting in Sudan has severely curtailed humanitarian aid deliveries across vast areas of the southeast, the UN World Food Programme, WFP, said on Friday.

Image
UN forum on sustainable development concludes with renewed commitment, call for urgent action

UN forum on sustainable development concludes with renewed commitment, call for urgent action

18 Jul 2024

The High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development concluded on Wednesday, with nations reiterating the need for renewed impetus and accelerated actions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the 2030 deadline.

Image
New support needed amid preparations for Ukraine’s third wartime winter

New support needed amid preparations for Ukraine’s third wartime winter

18 Jul 2024

A new $100 million financial contribution will be given to support displaced and war-affected people in Ukraine as they prepare for the third winter since the start of Russia’s invasion, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi announced on Thursday during his third wartime visit to Kharkiv.  

Image
Eastern Afghanistan reels from fatal storms; dozens dead, hundreds homeless

Eastern Afghanistan reels from fatal storms; dozens dead, hundreds homeless

18 Jul 2024

UN teams and humanitarian partners in Afghanistan are mobilizing in response to devastating windstorms and flash floods that have ravaged eastern regions of the country, resulting in dozens of fatalities and the destruction of hundreds of homes.

Image
‘Largest’ displacements so far in Gaza’s war of attrition: UN aid agencies

‘Largest’ displacements so far in Gaza’s war of attrition: UN aid agencies

18 Jul 2024

UN humanitarians issued a fresh alert on Thursday about having to cut rations in Gaza where fresh evacuation orders by the Israeli military have prompted “the largest displacements since October” across the enclave.

Image
World News in Brief: Bangladesh student protests, South Sudan attacks continue, opportunity knocks for climate action in Africa

World News in Brief: Bangladesh student protests, South Sudan attacks continue, opportunity knocks for climate action in Africa

17 Jul 2024

As violent protests continued at university campuses in Bangladesh on Wednesday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights urged authorities to engage with students demanding an end to the quota system for government jobs amid rising unemployment. 

Image
UN and EU humanitarians appeal for more support for Haiti

UN and EU humanitarians appeal for more support for Haiti

16 Jul 2024

The multifaceted humanitarian catastrophe in Haiti requires urgent international attention, three senior aid officials from the United Nations and the European Union have said, wrapping up a four-day visit to the Caribbean country where they saw firsthand how ongoing gang violence has upended people’s lives. 

Image
Sudan: 800,000 still trapped in El Fasher where supplies running out, warns WHO

Sudan: 800,000 still trapped in El Fasher where supplies running out, warns WHO

16 Jul 2024

Hunger and fear of famine stalk Sudan where a staggering 800,000 people still remain trapped in the North Darfur capital El Fasher without enough food, water or medical support, the World Health Organization, WHO, said on Tuesday.

Image
The triple planetary crisis: Global Foresight Report reveals global shifts

The triple planetary crisis: Global Foresight Report reveals global shifts

15 Jul 2024

Eight critical global shifts are accelerating a triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature loss, pollution and waste, according to the new Global Foresight Report produced by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Science Council (ISC) released on Monday. 

Image
UN deputy chief calls for major arms spending cuts and urgent action to save SDGs

UN deputy chief calls for major arms spending cuts and urgent action to save SDGs

15 Jul 2024

The UN Deputy Secretary-General on Monday urged global leaders to redirect resources from warfare to peace and sustainable development initiatives.

Image
South Sudan faces a growing humanitarian crisis, warns WHO

South Sudan faces a growing humanitarian crisis, warns WHO

15 Jul 2024

Twelve years on from independence the people of South Sudan continue to face huge challenges, exacerbated now by the war in neighbouring Sudan, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.

Image
Sustainable development: ‘Be leaders and inspire’ UN deputy chief urges, as 2030 deadline nears

Sustainable development: ‘Be leaders and inspire’ UN deputy chief urges, as 2030 deadline nears

14 Jul 2024

With only 17 per cent of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on track and just six more years until the 2030 deadline, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed has called for a new era of inspiring leadership, ahead of a special event on Monday to galvanize action.

Image
Gaza: WHO and partners provide lifesaving treatment following deadly Israeli strikes in Al Mawasi

Gaza: WHO and partners provide lifesaving treatment following deadly Israeli strikes in Al Mawasi

13 Jul 2024

The UN health agency and partners are responding to help the hundreds hurt during Saturday’s airstrikes by Israeli forces on Gaza’s Al Mawasi area which have reportedly left at least 90 dead and around 300 injured, according to figures from the war-torn enclave’s health ministry.

Image
UN humanitarians report severe displacement and critical needs in Gaza City

UN humanitarians report severe displacement and critical needs in Gaza City

12 Jul 2024

Humanitarians from the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) witnessed severe civilian displacement, a lack of fuel and dire humanitarian needs in three areas in Gaza City while on a mission trip on Friday, according to Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric.  

Image
Top official warns of weakened regional security following withdrawal from West African economic bloc by Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger

Top official warns of weakened regional security following withdrawal from West African economic bloc by Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger

12 Jul 2024

Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger’s decision to pull out of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) “even as terrorism and transnational organized crime remain a pervasive threat”, will be damaging to regional relations all round, said the UN’s top official in the region on Friday.

Image
Gaza: There is no alternative to UNRWA, Guterres declares

Gaza: There is no alternative to UNRWA, Guterres declares

12 Jul 2024

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, standing alongside top officials in New York on Friday, underscored the essential need to bolster the UN agency assisting Palestine refugees (UNRWA) across the Middle East amid continued attacks on its mandate, staff, premises and operations.

Image
World News in Brief: Sand and dust storm scourge, Mali humanitarian update, moving education online

World News in Brief: Sand and dust storm scourge, Mali humanitarian update, moving education online

12 Jul 2024

Dust levels worldwide decreased slightly in 2023 the UN’s weather and climate agency said on Friday, but they are still well above the long-term average in the worst-hit areas.

Image
Top aid officials call for greater solidarity and support for Haiti

Top aid officials call for greater solidarity and support for Haiti

12 Jul 2024

Three senior humanitarians  appealed on Friday for more support for Haiti, where ongoing gang violence in the capital, Port-au-Prince, is affecting the entire population. 

Image
DR Congo: Conflict escalation linked to deadly Mpox threat

DR Congo: Conflict escalation linked to deadly Mpox threat

12 Jul 2024

At least 25 million people have been caught up in the humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where a neglected health emergency continues to unfold at an alarming rate, the UN health agency said on Friday.