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.

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FIRST PERSON: Louisiana alligator whisperer’s ‘dream job’

29 Dec 2019

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is marking its centenary in 2019 and as part of the commemoration has 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 southern US state of Louisiana. 

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FIRST PERSON: Accordion maker has ‘never had so much fun’

28 Dec 2019

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is marking its centenary in 2019 and as part of the commemoration has 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 southern US state of Louisiana. 

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Haiti: Food insecurity expected to rise next year, UN humanitarian agency reports

27 Dec 2019

The number of Haitians who do not have sufficient food to eat is expected to surpass four million next year, the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said on Friday. 

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Accelerating towards a fairer future

27 Dec 2019

Cutting child mortality by a third in Brazil, reaching carbon neutrality in Finland and redirecting trillions of dollars of investment to funds that promote sustainability: these are some examples of initiatives from governments, civil society and the private sector, designed to speed up the UN’s goal of achieving a fairer society for all.

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The 2010 – 2020 UN News Decade in Review, part three

27 Dec 2019

The final part of our look back over the past decade takes in the launch of the 2030 Agenda, the UN’s blueprint for a better future for all; the humanitarian response to the Rohingya refugee crisis; the successful end to the mandate of the UN Liberia Mission; and fresh momentum in the fight against the climate crisis, despite disappointment over the COP25 climate conference in Madrid. 

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Women in Business “must be knowledgeable and trust their knowledge”

27 Dec 2019

Women who set up their own businesses will succeed if they are knowledgeable about their field and “trust their knowledge”; that’s according to the owner of a successful wine bar and store in the city of New Orleans in the United States. 

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FROM THE FIELD: The Comeback Crane

26 Dec 2019

An endangered species of crane has been saved from extinction in Thailand, thanks to a project supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 

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FIRST PERSON: Wine still helping heal, post-Hurricane Katrina

26 Dec 2019

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is marking its centenary in 2019 and as part of the commemoration has 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 southern US state of Louisiana. 

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The 2010 – 2020 UN News Decade in Review, part two

25 Dec 2019

With the 2020s now in full view, welcome to the second in our three-part series looking back at some of the major UN-related stories of the past decade. In part two, we take in the years 2014 to 2016, which saw the worst outbreak of Ebola ever recorded; new hope that the climate crisis could be tackled by world leaders, through the historic Paris climate agreement; and the launch of the UN’s 2030 Agenda, a plan of action for people, the planet and prosperity. 

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FIRST PERSON: Feeling the milliner’s vibe

25 Dec 2019

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is marking its centenary in 2019 and as part of the commemoration has 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 southern US state of Louisiana. 

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UN chief urges action following execution, abduction of civilians in Nigeria

24 Dec 2019

Those responsible for the recent execution and abduction of civilians in northeastern Nigeria must be held accountable, the UN Secretary-General has said, according to a statement issued on Tuesday by his spokesperson. 

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UN chief calls for ‘immediate cessation of hostilities’ in Syria amidst violence uptick and displacement

24 Dec 2019

“Deeply concerned” over a recent military escalation in northwest Syria, Secretary-General António Guterres called for an “immediate cessation of hostilities”.

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FROM THE FIELD: Preventing Ethiopia’s trash from going to waste

24 Dec 2019

The rehabilitation of a dumpsite in Ethiopia in which 116 people died following a landslide two years ago, has made the area safer for people working there thanks to support from the UN human settlements agency UN-Habitat. 

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FIRST PERSON: ‘Big Chief’ and the million beads

24 Dec 2019

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is marking its centenary in 2019 and as part of the commemoration has 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 southern US state of Louisiana. 

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UN relief chief condemns attacks against humanitarian premises in Yemen

23 Dec 2019

The top UN humanitarian official has called for a thorough investigation into weekend attacks against the premises of three international aid organizations in Yemen that wounded one person, in addition to damaging property. 

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FIRST PERSON: Chef’s ‘labour of love’ key ingredient for life in the kitchen

23 Dec 2019

The International Labour Organization is marking its centenary in 2019 and as part of the commemoration has 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 southern US state of Louisiana.   

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‘Humanity, quiet dignity’ of workers profiled in US-wide photo project

23 Dec 2019

A small paddle-boat with two men on board finds its way through a green but muddy field planted with rice on a 120-acre farm in Scott, in the US state of Louisiana. It lurches forward as one of the men plants little metal traps into the mud every ten feet or so.   

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FIRST PERSON: ‘Dog-dead tired’ with a boat full of crawfish

22 Dec 2019

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is marking its centenary in 2019 and as part of the commemoration has 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 southern US state of Louisiana.

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Friday’s Daily Brief: Pope Francis, Lesotho, Iran, world corruption

20 Dec 2019

Our top stories for Friday include: Pope Francis receives the UN chief in Rome, Lesotho famine threat, concern for jailed Iranian protestors, and strengthened global action to prevent corruption. 

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Thursday’s Daily Brief: tobacco burn-out, cholera cases down, ‘shifting the needle’ on climate

19 Dec 2019

Among today’s stories: more men are quitting nicotine than ever before, a big drop in cholera cases was recorded between 2017 and 2018, and the UN calls on developed countries to raise their climate ambitions, following the disappointment of COP25.

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Life for civilians in Syria ‘worse than when the year began’

19 Dec 2019

The humanitarian situation facing civilians in many parts of Syria is “worse than when the year began”, the UN deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator told the Security Council on Thursday.

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Only ‘concrete action’ will stop fraying of Israel-Palestine peace prospects

18 Dec 2019

Obstacles to any lasting deal between Israel and Palestine continue to mount, the UN’s Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process told Security Council members on Wednesday, and only “concrete action” towards a two-State solution will change that dynamic.

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‘New and dangerous’ global risks require multilateral solutions, Guterres tells Italian Senate 

18 Dec 2019

Shifting balances of power are triggering “new and dangerous risks”, the UN chief told the Italian Senate in Rome on Wednesday, pointing to the need for more coordinated international responses, focused on solutions.

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South Sudan: political will needed to form a unified government, on the road to peace

17 Dec 2019

Extending the deadline for the establishment of a unity government in South Sudan has helped maintain a ceasefire but also disillusioned many  citizens, the Security Council heard on Tuesday. 

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Nine children killed or maimed in Afghanistan every day: UN Children’s Fund

17 Dec 2019

An average of nine children have been killed or maimed every day in Afghanistan so far this year, according to a new report from the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, which describes the country as “the world’s most lethal warzone”.

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Monday’s Daily Brief: anti-corruption conference, refugees’ summit, food extremes, Yemen aid

16 Dec 2019

Our top stories for Monday include: major international conference on anti-corruption underway; first ever Global Refugee Forum kicks off; global undernutrition and obesity crisis laid bare; food aid in Yemen; the power of youth to end hunger. 

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At this ‘critical moment’, UN chief urges anti-corruption conference to adopt united front

16 Dec 2019

As we enter the Decade of Action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the world must “unite against corruption” to stop precious resources from being drained by illicit financial flows, an international conference on the issue heard on Monday in Abu Dhabi.

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Bold, innovative measures for refugees and their hosts sought, at first ever Global Forum

16 Dec 2019

As refugee numbers approach 26 million, heads of state, top UN diplomats, powerful figures from the private sector and civil society are heading to Geneva to agree on “bold, new” ways to help, at the first ever Global Refugee Forum, which got underway on Monday.

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Progress made at COP25, despite lack of agreement to increase climate ambition

15 Dec 2019

Negotiations at the COP25 UN climate conference in Madrid finally ended on Sunday, wrapping up an event which saw much progress made by the private sector, and by national, regional and local governments. However, there was widespread disappointment that no overall consensus was reached on increased climate ambition.

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A year on from Yemen talks breakthrough, top UN Envoy hails ‘shift’ towards peace, despite setbacks

13 Dec 2019

When warring parties in Yemen met in a renovated castle outside the Swedish capital last December for UN-brokered talks, they showed that perhaps there could be a way out of brutal conflict and the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, the UN Special Envoy for the country said this week.