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 chief calls for solidarity with people of Syria, with ‘no time to spare’

15 Jun 2023

As donors gathered in Brussels at an international pledging conference for Syria organized by the European Union on Thursday, UN chief António Guterres highlighted the immense suffering of the Syrian people, which he said “defies description”.

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Social justice must be the foundation for the changing world of work: Guterres

14 Jun 2023

Social justice must underpin the global transition to more just and sustainable jobs for all, UN Secretary-Antonio Guterres said in a video message to the opening of the World of Work Summit in Geneva on Wednesday. 

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Kakhovka dam disaster a health crisis in the making: WHO

13 Jun 2023

Disease outbreaks, a mental health crisis and lack of access to care are among the devastating health impacts of the destruction of the Kahkovka dam in southern Ukraine a week ago, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.

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Syria: ‘Unprecedented funding crisis’ means cuts for 2.5 million in need, warns WFP

13 Jun 2023

An unprecedented funding crisis in Syria has forced the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to announce cuts to aid being provided for 2.5 million of the 5.5 million people who rely on the agency for basic food needs.

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Climate shocks set to worsen already fragile hotspots, Security Council hears

13 Jun 2023

With an estimated 3.5 billion people living in “climate hot spots”, related peace and security risks are only set to heighten, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix told the Security Council on Tuesday, warning that action must be taken to avert ever-worsening effects.

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One in every 10 children works - instead of going to school

12 Jun 2023

Around the world, some 160 million children work to earn a living, instead of going to school. That’s almost one in every 10 children.

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New UN report reveals chronic bias against women over last decade

12 Jun 2023

A new UN report launched on Monday revealed no improvement in the level of prejudice shown against women over the past decade, with almost nine out of 10 men and women worldwide, still holding such biases.

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UN chief calls for new era of social media integrity in bid to stem misinformation

12 Jun 2023

Countries must address the “grave global harm” caused by the proliferation of hate and lies online, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday, launching a key report designed to shore up information integrity on digital platforms.  

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Ukraine: Kakhovka dam aid effort reaches 180,000 people

12 Jun 2023

Heavy rains and thunderstorms in the area of the Kakhovka dam disaster in southern Ukraine aggravated the humanitarian situation there on Monday, making evacuations and aid distribution harder.

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UN suspends food assistance as Ethiopia wrestles with aid diversions

09 Jun 2023

Amid media reports of widespread theft of aid deliveries in Ethiopia, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Friday the immediate temporary suspension of food assistance to the country.

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‘We stand by you’ declares UN relief chief, outlining emergency plan for Ukraine dam disaster

09 Jun 2023

Plans to help the people of Ukraine following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam are centred on saving people “right now”, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths told UN News in an interview on Friday.

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Dam disaster: UN ‘committed to reaching all Ukrainians in need’, says top aid official

08 Jun 2023

The UN’s top official in Ukraine reassured the country’s Foreign Minister on Thursday that the Organization has been working to provide support and aid to civilians affected by the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam since the first hours of the disaster.

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From the Field: Boosting ocean literacy

08 Jun 2023

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the annual World Oceans Day Photo Competition, a new exhibit is making a splash now through 14 July at UN Headquarters to promote a better understanding of Earth’s invaluable bodies of water.

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Ukraine dam disaster: Lack of clean water, spread of disease, major risks

07 Jun 2023

The magnitude of the humanitarian catastrophe following the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine, is becoming clearer as UN humanitarians redoubled efforts to reach affected civilians with aid on Wednesday.

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World Oceans Day underscores need to protect ‘the foundation of life’

07 Jun 2023

Over a third of global fish stocks are being harvested at unsustainable levels – just one example of how human activity is harming oceans, which cover more than 70 per cent of the Earth’s surface.

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Human rights for all, still ‘work in progress’ warns Türk

06 Jun 2023

The full realization of human rights for all is a “work in progress”, and the world must now adapt and update its thinking to respond to current “dramatic rollbacks”, the UN human rights chief said on Tuesday, marking the 30th anniversary of both his office and the global agreement that created it.

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Buckling up to save lives: UN celebrates five decades of seat belt laws

06 Jun 2023

Laws making seat belt use mandatory in cars have saved millions of lives, UN agencies announced on Tuesday, marking half a century of vehicular safety legislation around the world.

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Ukraine: Dam destruction ‘monumental humanitarian, economic and ecological catastrophe’: Guterres

06 Jun 2023

Tens of thousands of civilians in Ukraine are in danger on the frontline, after the apparent destruction of a huge dam on Tuesday, which the UN chief described as a “monumental humanitarian, economic and environmental catastrophe” resulting directly from Russia’s invasion of the country. 

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World off track for reaching key goal on sustainable energy by 2030

06 Jun 2023

The world is not on track to meet Sustainable Development Goal 7, designed to ensure access to affordable, reliable energy for all, a new report from the UN and partners revealed on Monday.

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Haiti: UN deeply saddened as latest earthquake kills three, in wake of floods

06 Jun 2023

The UN expressed deep sadness as another deadly earthquake claimed the lives of at least three people near the Haitian city of Jerémie in the early hours of Tuesday, compounding an already life-threatening situation in recent days caused by flooding and landslides.

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Ukraine: Dam destruction sparks nuclear safety, humanitarian concerns

06 Jun 2023

Thousands of civilians in Ukraine are in danger on the frontline, after the apparent destruction of a huge dam whose reservoir is used to cool the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant (ZNPP), UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.

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New UN reports aim to avert continued social, economic and environmental ‘breakdown’

05 Jun 2023

Reforming the global financial system, moving beyond Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a measure of economic progress, and addressing technology challenges are crucial to achieving a more just and equitable future for all, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday. 

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Critical humanitarian situation in Central African Republic

05 Jun 2023

The humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) remains critical, with more than half the population, 3.4 million people, requiring assistance and protection, the top UN aid official in the country said on Monday. 

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Cities ‘critical battlegrounds’ for a sustainable future: Guterres

05 Jun 2023

When it comes to fighting for a sustainable future, the world’s cities are “critical battlegrounds” and more important than ever to making multilateralism work for all, said the UN chief in a video message on Monday to the United Nations Habitat Assembly.

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India train disaster: UN chief deeply saddened by loss of life

04 Jun 2023

The UN Secretary-General has expressed his deep sadness over the loss of life and injuries sustained during India’s worst rail disaster this century, when three trains collided in the eastern state of Odisha on Friday. 

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Baristas behind bars: From serving time to serving lattes

04 Jun 2023

Perfectly foamed milk. A delicate butterfly enswirled atop. A bittersweet tang on the palate. A perfect cappuccino? It is beyond that. This particular cup was masterfully frothed and served by Denny, an inmate in Tangerang, a prison to the west of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, who joined a UN-supported training programme aimed at helping prisoners to re-integrate into society after serving time.

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World must ‘work as one’ to end plastic pollution: Guterres

04 Jun 2023

As international negotiators committed to hammering out a draft treaty by November on ending plastic pollution, the UN chief stressed in his message for World Environment Day on Monday, the importance of curbing the “catastrophic” consequences of waste plastics.

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Trafficking in the Sahel: Gas lighting

03 Jun 2023

Kourou/Koualou, a tiny village in a neutral zone straddling Benin and Burkina Faso, was the centre of a one-million-litre-a-year cross-border illicit fuel trade, a snapshot of a phenomenon that spreads far across the 6,000-kilometre-wide African Sahel region.

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Time running out to save Myanmar’s Rakhine from hunger and disease post-Cyclone Mocha

02 Jun 2023

More than two weeks after deadly Cyclone Mocha hit Myanmar, aid access is uncertain, disease is spreading, and a major food crisis remains a very real threat, the UN said on Friday.

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Sudan: Crisis fuels ‘desperate’ situation for civilians, as Security Council demands unhindered humanitarian access

02 Jun 2023

As the crisis in Sudan enters its second month, UN agencies and partners warned on Friday that the conflict between rival military groups since mid-April is fuelling an increasingly “desperate” situation for civilians, especially in the nation’s capital.