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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WFP moves to support families affected by Gaza violence 

17 May 2021

Responding to rising humanitarian needs brought about by the escalation of conflict in the Gaza Strip, the World Food Programme (WFP) on Monday began providing emergency assistance to support families, amid fears of low food stocks and rising prices. 

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Vaccine inequity triggers ‘huge disconnect’ between countries

17 May 2021

Although COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to decline globally for a second consecutive week, the UN health agency chief said on Monday that “a huge disconnect” is mounting between some highly vaccinated countries, which see the pandemic as largely resolved, while huge waves of infection continue to grip others where shots are scarce.   

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Invest in Sudan’s peaceful and sustainable future, UN chief tells Paris conference

17 May 2021

Continued international support for Sudan is critical as the country undergoes a historic political and economic transformation, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told a major investment conference in Paris on Monday. 

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Ensure digital technologies are 'a force for good', Guterres says in message for International Day

17 May 2021

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated digital transformation across the planet, millions worldwide still lack Internet access, the UN Secretary-General said on Monday, highlighting why information and communication technologies (ICTs) must be “a force for good.”

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First Person: Gardening is ‘political’ says Irish celebrity horticulturist

15 May 2021

For Diarmuid Gavin, a renowned Irish gardener and TV personality, horticulture has to a role to play in all contemporary affairs, from the Black Lives Matter Movement to the ongoing pandemic, because “everything is connected, and everything is political”.

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Tanzania helpline calls time on child marriage and abuse

15 May 2021

Child marriage continues to affect many young girls across Tanzania, in East Africa, but now a series of interventions supported by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) are allowing children to get the support they need to avoid unwanted and potentially damaging relationships.

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Civilian casualties climb, as UN chief calls on all parties to 'immediately cease' fighting in Gaza and Israel

14 May 2021

The UN Secretary-General on Friday issued an urgent appeal for all parties involved in this week's escalation of violence in the occupied Palestinian enclave of Gaza, and Israel, to "immediately cease the fighting", or risk creating an "uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis". 

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UN condemns killing of aid worker in South Sudan

13 May 2021

The top UN humanitarian official in South Sudan has called  for law enforcement along roads following the first killing of an aid worker in the country this year during an ambush in Budi, East Equatoria, on Wednesday.

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More violence ‘last thing Yemen needs’, peace ‘only way’ to resolve crises

12 May 2021

Peace is “the only way” to resolve the crisis in Yemen, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator told the Security Council on Wednesday. 

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Islamic social financing initiative aims to help economic recovery, pandemic response

11 May 2021

As the world continues to grapple with the health and economic crisis sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN and Islamic Development Bank teamed up on Tuesday to help the most vulnerable. 

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Vaccine inequity posing ‘significant risk’ to global economic recovery: UN report

11 May 2021

Although the outlook for global growth has improved, the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as inadequate progress on vaccination in poorer countries, are putting recovery at risk, according to the latest UN economic forecast, published on Tuesday. 

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Deep concern as violence escalates in Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel

11 May 2021

The UN rights office, OHCHR, appealed on Tuesday for “a redoubling of efforts to restore calm” on Tuesday in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, after airstrikes and days of clashes between protesters and Israeli police.

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5 things you should know about the state of the global economy

10 May 2021

Is this the year we overcome the global economic crisis caused by the pandemic? Are our jobs in danger? Who has lost the most in the crisis and what can be done to recover? As the UN Department of Social and Economic Affairs (DESA) prepares to launch the mid-year update of the 2021 World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) report, here are five things you need to know about the state of the global economy.

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Free up ‘bottlenecks’ stifling Africa’s agri-food sector, urges FAO chief 

10 May 2021

The UN agriculture chief warned on Monday that severe underfunding of Africa’s agri-food sector has boosted food insecurity and was hampering the future development of countries across the continent. 

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Climate change threatens winged harbinger of spring

07 May 2021

A sure sign of spring in northern Europe is the arrival of the Arctic tern bird, but ahead of the UN’s World Migratory Bird Day  experts fear the warming of the oceans in its nesting grounds in the northern Atlantic is threatening its very existence. 

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Cut methane emissions to avert global temperature rise, UN-backed study urges

06 May 2021

Methane emissions caused by human activity can be reduced by up to 45 per cent this decade, thus helping to keep global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius in line with the Paris Agreement on climate change, according to a UN-backed report published on Thursday. 

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WHO chief hails ‘monumental moment’ in COVID fight, as US throws support behind vaccine patent waiver

05 May 2021

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday said the commitment announced by the United States administration to lift vaccine patent protections to help boost global supply, was a “monumental moment” in the battle to end the deadly pandemic.

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155 million faced acute food insecurity in 2020, conflict the key driver

05 May 2021

At least 155 million people faced crisis levels of food insecurity in 2020 because of conflict, extreme weather events and economic shocks linked in part to COVID-19, a UN-partnered flagship report said on Wednesday.  

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Young people key to transforming world’s food systems

04 May 2021

Young people are taking a leading role in shaping fair and equitable food systems around the world, senior UN officials affirmed on Tuesday during a global youth dialogue on the theme of “Good Food for All”.

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UN forum examines how to make science and technology work better for all

04 May 2021

Harnessing the full potential of science and technology for the benefit of all people, everywhere, is the focus of a two-day virtual meeting convened by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which opened on Tuesday. 

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Pandemic showcases need for partnerships: ECOSOC President

03 May 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how all countries are connected, underscoring that global cooperation and solidarity are the only way out of the crisis, senior UN officials said on Monday during the annual Partnership Forum, organized by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). 

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Europe: COVID must spark rethink to prioritize ‘human lives’ over economic policies 

30 Apr 2021

The devastating impact of COVID-19 serves as a stark reminder that the European Union must “put human lives” above economic policy considerations, that privilege competition between EU Member States, an independent UN human rights expert said on Friday. 

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Ethiopia: ‘Unpredictable security’ in Tigray, hindering aid delivery

29 Apr 2021

A “complex and unpredictable security situation” in Tigray continues to impede the delivery of life-saving assistance to Ethiopia’s northern region, the Deputy UN Spokesperson told journalists on Thursday.   

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Madagascar edges toward famine, UN food agency appeals for assistance

29 Apr 2021

An unrelenting drought in southern Madagascar, an island State off the East African coast in the Indian Ocean, is forcing hundreds of thousands to the brink of famine at a scale “beyond belief”, a senior UN food agency official said on Thursday. 

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Increased cancer risk for petroleum industry workers and people living near plants: New UN study

29 Apr 2021

People working in the petroleum industry or living near petroleum facilities are at increased risk of developing several different cancer types, according to a new report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARCWHO), part of the UN World Health Organization (WHO).

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Revived peace process, lasting calm, and a new constitution needed in Syria 

28 Apr 2021

In addition to the challenges that all Syrians have faced during a 10-year conflict, women have experienced sexual and gender-based violence, early and forced marriage and trafficking, the country’s UN envoy told the Security Council on Wednesday. 

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370,000 children displaced in Central African Republic; highest level since 2014

28 Apr 2021

Child displacement in the Central African Republic (CAR) has now reached its highest level since 2014, according to the latest estimates from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), warning of the mounting risks children face.

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Don’t let the digital divide become ‘the new face of inequality’: UN deputy chief

27 Apr 2021

Without decisive action by the international community, the digital divide will become “the new face of inequality”, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed warned the General Assembly on Tuesday. 

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SDGs will address ‘three planetary crises’ harming life on Earth 

27 Apr 2021

The “three planetary crises” of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution are reinforcing each other and driving further damage to the environment and to our health, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said on Tuesday. 

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DR Congo: ‘Relentless’ violence worsening plight of children in Ituri province

26 Apr 2021

A recent spike in inter-community violence in the eastern province of Ituri in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is worsening the plight of children there, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said on Monday, urging greater international support.