The humanitarian situation in Iraq is getting "dramatically" worse, according to a senior UN relief official who is visiting the country. Kyung-wha Kang, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said that the human cost of the crisis was "devastating" and called on more international support for civilians caught up in extremist conflict areas. Matthew Wells [...]
New International Solar Alliance launched at COP21 A new International Solar Alliance has been launched on the first day of the COP21 climate change talks in Paris, France. The move was welcomed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who said promoting solar energy would strengthen energy security and access for millions across the developing world. He [...]
Agriculture is becoming less of a "toxic issue" in climate change discussions according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). World leaders are meeting at the COP21 summit in Paris this week in the hope of agreeing a universal deal which will help to reverse changes to the world's climatic conditions. The UN food agency [...]
By the end of this year, nearly half of the world's households, 46 per cent, will be online, up from 30 per cent just five years ago. That's according to the annual Measuring the Information Society Report, from the world telecoms body, the ITU. Matthew Wells reports. A total of 3.2 billion people are now [...]
This is a special programme from United Nations Radio with Stephanie Coutrix in Paris. She is at the historic UN Climate Change Conference. It's hoped this meeting of international leaders will conclude with an unprecedented agreement which will help to reverse changes to the world's climate. In the programme we'll be at the opening of [...]
World leaders meeting in Paris, France have been told they need to wake up to the severity of the dangers brought about by climate change. Around 150 heads of state and government have gathered at the UN Climate Change conference in the hope of agreeing a deal which will, amongst other goals, keep global temperature [...]
"History is calling" world leaders at CO21, says UN chief "History is calling" world leaders to come up with a deal during climate change talks in Paris, according to the UN Secretary-General. Ban Ki-moon told around 150 leaders present at the COP21 talks which began on Monday, that they had a potentially-unique political opportunity to [...]
Planting trees is "part of the solution" to reversing climate change according to a young activist from Germany. Teenager Felix Finkbeiner has been named a "climate justice ambassador" and is attending the UN Climate Change Summit currently underway in Paris, France. He's part of a group called “Plant for the planet” which is hoping to [...]
More than 600 families are expected to benefit from a new solar power project supported by the UN in Tanzania. The US$150,000 project, which is centred around the capital, Dodoma aims to help local communities mitigate the effects of climate change. The UN Development Programme (UNDP) helped to launch the initiative, which includes innovative energy [...]
The UN Secretary-General has said that he's convinced world leaders will adopt an "ambitious" climate deal at a summit which begins in Paris, France on Monday. Around 150 heads of state and government are expected to participate in the UN Climate Change conference, also known as COP21. It's hoped that a universal deal will be [...]
The West African countries hit by the deadly Ebola virus can't recover from the ravages of the deadly virus without more help. That's the verdict of the UN's Regional Inter-Agency Coordinator on Ebola, Peter Graaff. The epidemic which led to around 11,000 deaths in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, beginning in December 2013, is mostly [...]
Two UN peacekeepers and one civilian contractor have been killed in Mali following an attack on a United Nations base on Saturday. The UN mission in the country, MINUSMA, said 20 others were wounded including four seriously. The Government of Guinea confirmed the peacekeepers were Guinean nationals. Daniel Dickinson has more details MINUSMA said the [...]
The north-east Nigerian city of Maiduguri has more than doubled in size due to displacement caused by the extremist Boko Haram group. And the UN's most senior envoy on the Sahel region, Toby Lanzer, says that's putting its services under immense pressure, with no one clear on when it will be safe to go home. [...]
Local public schools in Lebanon can accommodate only half of the 400,000 school-age Syrian refugee children in the country according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). More than four million people have fled Syria as a result of the four-year long civil war that has engulfed the country. Many parents have arrived in Lebanon and are hoping [...]
World leaders have been told by the UN Secretary-General that they must "deliver" on a climate change deal at the forthcoming meeting in Paris. The international community will begin talks in the French capital from Monday in the hope of securing a universal agreement which will reverse climatic changes. Daniel Dickinson reports. The meeting in [...]
Killing of UN peacekeeper in Sudanese town condemned by UN chief An attack on Thursday on the residence of a local leader on the border between Sudan and South Sudan, during which one Ethiopian UN peacekeeper and a young girl were killed, has been strongly condemned by the Secretary-General. The attack in Abyei town by [...]
The number of adolescents who have died from AIDS has tripled over the last 15 years, according to new data released by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). AIDS is the number one cause of death among adolescents in Africa and the second leading cause of death among adolescents globally. Ana Carmo reports. In 2014, 60,000 [...]
As the Central African Republic prepares for the visit of Pope Francis to Bangui this weekend, the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, is urging the country's warring groups to be inspired by the visit to rebuild the national reconciliation process after a wave of violence that has triggered an 18 per cent increase in the [...]
Continued violence and the impact of brutal fighting are taking an increasingly heavy toll on the lives of children in South Sudan, according to the United Nations children's agency, UNICEF. The agency says that since the beginning of 2015, the situation for children has worsened, with as many as 16,000 having been associated with armed [...]
"Extreme violence" driving instability in north-east Nigeria Extreme violence in the north-east of Nigeria is the most visible driver of instability and the need for emergency relief, according to the UN's most senior envoy on the Sahel. However, Toby Lanzer said that abject poverty and environmental degradation are the root cause of the crisis that [...]
The up-coming climate change conference in Paris shows that the international community "stands together" against terrorism. That's according to Wu Hongbo, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs. He praised France's "courage" for going ahead with the COP21 conference which begins on Monday, in spite of the deadly terrorist attacks of November 13. It's [...]
The outlawed group Boko Haram, which has been terrorizing populations in Nigeria has changed its tactics following recent military successes by the Nigerian authorities; that's according to the UN's most senior representative in the West African country. The government has pledged to defeat Boko Haram by the end of the year, but the group continues [...]
Nuclear power can play an important role in reversing climate change, but it's not the only solution according to the UN's nuclear agency, the IAEA. World leaders are on their way to Paris for an international conference at which they will try and agree a universal climate deal. One of the goals is to reduce [...]
Fewer people in Africa than ever before are being infected by malaria, but more than 400,000 continue to die each year from it the UN health agency has said. That's the challenge remaining for the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, based at the World Health Organization, as it celebrates reaching the Millennium Development Goal set 15 [...]
Strong rallying call" issued against ISIL terrorists A resolution adopted unanimously by the UN Security Council provides a "strong rallying call" against terrorists operating in Iraq and Syria. That's according to the current President of the Council and British Ambassador to the UN, Matthew Rycroft. The 15-member body called on the international community to take [...]
Violence against women a "global epidemic" Violence against women should be recognized as a "global epidemic" according to the Deputy Executive Director of UN Women, the United Nations' gender agency. Lakshmi Puri was talking ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, marked annually on 25 November. The international day kicks [...]
40 million youth in Sahel at risk of radicalization or migration The Sahel region risks becoming a hub for mass migration or recruitment of young people by extremist groups the Security Council heard on Wednesday. UN envoy Hiroute Guebre Sellassie told the 15-member body that security is the main concern for the region, whose countries [...]
World leaders have been urged by the head of the worldwide Catholic Church, Pope Francis, to make a strong agreement at next week's climate change conference in Paris, France. Speaking at the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, he said the world was faced with a choice which cannot be ignored: [...]
Avian influenza continues to be a threat in a number of African countries according to the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Also known as bird flu, the virus can cause death amongst humans as well as bird species, especially poultry. Daniel Dickinson reports Concern has been raised over outbreaks of the H5N1 [...]
US$16 billion climate plan unveiled for Africa A new plan that calls for US$16 billion in funding to help Africa adapt to climate change and build up the continent's resilience to climate shocks has been unveiled by the World Bank. The Bank will present the Africa Climate Business Plan at the global climate talks which [...]
Nearly 90 per cent of the over one million Syrian refugees in Lebanon are caught in a vicious debt cycle, according to the UN. The almost five-year-long civil war in Syria has driven millions of people to find refuge in neighbouring countries like Lebanon. The majority has no legal right to work there and now [...]
The issue of climate change needs to be addressed now otherwise it will become increasingly more expensive and more difficult to tackle, according to a senior UN envoy. The international community is due to meet in Paris, France, in December in order to agree a universal deal which, among other goals, will include keeping global [...]
If current trends continue, the number of child brides in Africa could double to 310 million by 2050, the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF has said According to the agency, Africa is poised to surpass South Asia as the region with the highest number of women between 20 and 24 years old who were married as [...]
UN deplores decision to suspend non-governmental organizations in Burundi The UN's top human rights official has said he is concerned by the suspension of ten non-governmental organizations in Burundi. Several of the organizations were working on peace and human rights issues, including torture and the rights of women and children. The UN High Commissioner for [...]
The Sahel region in Africa risks becoming a hub for mass migration or recruitment by extremist groups without sustained international engagement, the Security Council heard on Wednesday. UN envoy Hiroute Guebre Sellassie told the 15-member body that security is the main concern for the region, whose countries are among the poorest in the world. In [...]
Stronger national laws need to be put in place on the use of pesticides. That's the warning from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The UN agencies are calling on countries to review their regulatory frameworks on the use of pesticides to ensure they take into account the increased [...]
Attack on Presidential Guards in Tunisia met with condemnation An attack against a bus carrying Presidential Guards in Tunisia has been condemned by both the UN Secretary-General and the Security Council. The attack left more than a dozen people dead. In a statement, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the UN would continue to stand with Tunisia in [...]
Sixteen days of activism to end gender-based violence is underway across the world. The United Nations has described the problem as a global pandemic. In Kosovo, in eastern Europe, around 80 per cent of all victims of reported domestic abuse cases were women, while 90 per cent of perpetrators were men. Shpend Berbatovci has more [...]
Violence against women should be recognized as a "global epidemic" according to the Deputy Executive Director of UN Women, the United Nations' gender agency. Lakshmi Puri was talking ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, marked annually on 25 November. The day kicks off a 16 day campaign to stop [...]
UN chief "seriously concerned" over downing of Russian jet UN chief Ban Ki-moon has said he is "seriously concerned" over the downing of a Russian jet along the border between Turkey and Syria Tuesday. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Mr Ban has urged all parties to take steps to de-escalate tensions in the region. "He [...]
More than 80 per cent of people in Yemen, some 21.2 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs. That's according to a new report issued by the UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA). The report finds that the on-going violence in the country, which has claimed more than 2,500 lives [...]
"Extraordinary" progress in fight against HIV/AIDS "Extraordinary" progress has been made in the fight against HIV and AIDS, worldwide. That's according to a new report from UNAIDS, the UN agency working to combat the spread of the disease. About 15.8 million people are now accessing antiretroviral therapy, double the number of those being treated in [...]
The terrorists targeting civilians and aid workers in Mali won't stop the humanitarian effort there. That's according to the UN humanitarian coordinator in the north-west African country, Mbaranga Gasarabwe. She was speaking after extremist gunmen attacked a hotel in the capital Bamako on Friday, killing twenty people, most of whom were foreigners. There has been [...]
Tensions are rising amongst migrants and refugees at the main entry point into the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia from Greece, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The agency says the situation has arisen following a series of new and uncoordinated restrictions imposed on several borders in the Balkans, which are being used as [...]
A Russian jet has been shot down near the border between Turkey and Syria. The government of Turkey said its forces shot the plane down after it entered Turkish airspace. The Russian government said the plane was not in Turkish airspace when it was shot down and that the wreckage landed within Syria's borders. Russia [...]
Understanding the reasons why foreign terrorist fighters leave their homes and risk their lives in conflicts abroad is the focus of a unique meeting at UN headquarters Tuesday. The UN's lead terrorism agency, the Counter-terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) is hosting the meeting. Civil society, academia and other researchers have been invited to share ideas [...]
A resolution adopted unanimously by the UN Security Council provides a "strong rallying call" against terrorists operating in Iraq and Syria; that's according to the President of the Council and British Ambassador to the UN, Matthew Rycroft. The 15-member body called on the international community to take the war on terrorism to territory controlled by [...]
Although children are least responsible for climate change, they are the ones who will live with its consequences, the UN children's fund (UNICEF) warns. The agency says more than half a billion children live in areas that are prone to extreme flooding, while another 160 million are in areas with high drought severity. Ahead of [...]
European health ministers come together on refugee and migrant health European health ministers are meeting in Rome to focus on the health of refugees and migrants arriving in the region. The World Health Organization (WHO) organized the meeting in Italy with leading health officials to promote a common approach in meeting the health needs of [...]
Governments around the world must be held accountable for safeguarding against racial discrimination in times of uncertainty. That was the message from the top UN human rights official at the opening session of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Geneva, Switzerland. Veronica Reeves has the story. Describing a world filled with "anxiety" [...]
The world is paying a high price for weather-related disasters, with nearly US$2 trillion in losses and more than 600,000 deaths in the past 20 years alone. That's the finding of a report launched Monday by the UN's disaster risk office (UNISDR) and Belgium's Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters. The report shows [...]
The annual Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is being celebrated at the United Nations, against the backdrop of the recent dramatic uptick in violence in the region. More than 100 people have been killed in violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in recent months. Tension broke out over concerns that Israel would restrict [...]
"Climate irresponsibility" could undermine economic growth, but there's still time to act. That's the message ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference, COP21, in Paris, from Professor Nick Stern, speaking to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He argues that countries have to find ways of combining growth, with responsible policies that protect the environment, otherwise [...]
New fund-raising campaign aims to brighten lives of refugees A well-known chain of stores is teaming up with the UN with the aim of raising millions of dollars for refugees. The IKEA Foundation is partnering with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) for the Brighter Lives for Refugees campaign. For the next three weeks, IKEA will [...]
Women farmers on Zanzibar are going back to school to fight for their rights and boost family income. Most of the farmers on the tropical island off the coast of mainland Tanzania are women, but traditionally they have had very little control over their lives, or finances. But now a network of Farmer Field Schools, [...]
Progress in Asia is "all the more critical now" as the world copes with climate change, violent extremism, poverty and other threats, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told regional leaders on Sunday. Mr Ban was addressing a summit held by the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur. He underlined that [...]
The Arab world has elected its first-ever woman Speaker of Parliament. Dr Amal Al Qubaisi has been elected as Speaker of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Parliament, making her the first-ever woman Speaker of an Arab national parliament. She has been a parliamentarian in the UAE since 2006, where she has been particularly active on [...]
Protecting Iraq's "mosaic" of minorities is "part of our humanity". That's according to Adama Dieng, the UN Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide, who has just returned from visiting those parts of Iraq where minorities are most at risk from violence, and even extinction. He's especially concerned that the methodical atrocities carried out by [...]
The terrorist group ISIL, or Daesh, is an "unprecedented threat" to world peace. That's according to a counter-terrorism resolution passed by the UN Security Council on Friday. All 15 members of the Council voted in favour of the resolution which was tabled by France in the wake of the bloody attacks in Paris a week [...]
More than 120 world leaders have confirmed their attendance at the global climate change conference which opens in Paris in just over a week. That information comes from the UN Assistant Secretary-General on Climate Change, Janos Pasztor, who briefed journalists in New York on Friday. The conference aims to bring about a universal agreement that [...]
New Ebola cases in Liberia There have been three confirmed cases of Ebola in Liberia, which was declared free of the disease in September, the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported. A 10-year-old boy from the capital, Monrovia, and two members of his family have tested positive with the virus. Dr Bruce Aylard is the [...]
A deadly hostage situation at a hotel in Mali which has reportedly led to the deaths of more than 25 people, is over, the UN has confirmed. Armed terrorists had entered the Radisson Blu hotel in the capital Bamako, early on Friday morning, taking more than 150 hostages. The hotel is popular with foreign business [...]
Businesses in Iceland are being urged to "dig" into their operations to find ways to reduce harmful gas emissions. More than one hundred institutions and companies have met in the Icelandic capital, Reykjavik, where they signed a Declaration on Climate Issues aimed at encouraging local environmental initiatives. The declaration comes two weeks ahead of a [...]
The "scale and intensity" of modern conflicts, means that UN peacekeeping operations have to undergo major reform. That's the view of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who briefed the Security Council on his new peacekeeping recommendations on Friday. He said the Council needed to play a bigger role to help strengthen the whole peacekeeping system. Veronica Reeves [...]
Syria is at risk of losing a whole generation of children to "despair, illiteracy and darkness," a senior UN official has warned. Kevin Kennedy, UN Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria crisis, said nearly five years of fighting is robbing children of their future. He said tens of thousands have been killed or maimed in [...]
A range of restrictions put in place by governments against movements of refugees and migrants from Greece through the Western Balkans and further northwards will put already vulnerable people at risk according to the United Nations. A joint statement has been released by two UN agencies and the International Organization for Migration saying that the [...]
UN in Mali deplores terrorist attack on hotel The United Nations in Mali is supporting the country's authorities following a terrorist attack on a hotel in the capital, Bamako, on Friday. Gunmen had entered the Radisson Blu Hotel that morning and took dozens of hostages, freeing some and reportedly killing three people. The UN mission [...]
Africa needs to invest in training and education for women and youth to industrialize, grow the private sector and achieve sustainable development. That's the message from the UN Secretary-General in commemoration of Africa Industrialization Day, observed this Friday, 20 November. Daniel Dickinson reports This year the focus is on small and medium enterprises (SMEs), as [...]
A video of a celebrity wedding which took place in Brazil is being premiered at the UN on Friday as part of an event to highlight a decade of progress in Latin America in protecting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex or LGBTI people. The video features Daniela Mercury a Brazilian singer [...]
The increase in the number of displaced people worldwide has not been accompanied by a rise in resources to meet their needs, the head of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Thursday. António Guterres was speaking during an informal meeting at the UN on ways to address the global humanitarian and refugee crisis. War, [...]
Brazilian celebrity same-sex wedding video premiered at UN A video of a celebrity wedding which took place in Brazil is being premiered at the UN as part of an event to highlight a decade of progress in Latin America in protecting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex or LGBTI people. The video [...]
Final phase of measles vaccination campaign underway in Sudan The last phase of a measles vaccination campaign is underway in Sudan following a deadly outbreak of the virus nearly a year ago. More than 3,400 children have been infected with measles across its large land mass, since December 2014. More than 70 of those children [...]
US fears over terrorist "fifth column" among refugees: "far from the truth" Fears are now being expressed in the United States over the possibility of terrorists entering the country along with Syrian refugees. The New York-based spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has said those fears are understandable, but [...]
ISIL murder of two hostages a "heinous and cowardly act" The murder of two foreign hostages by the terrorist group ISIL has been condemned in the strongest terms by the UN Security Council. In a statement issued on Thursday, Council members called the execution of Fan Jinghui of China and Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad of Norway [...]
A nationwide ceasefire in Syria is "more likely than before" following recent meetings by the international community, the UN envoy for the country told journalists in New York on Thursday. Staffan de Mistura was speaking after an informal briefing he gave to UN Member States on the two recent conferences aimed at bringing an end [...]
People around the world should never give up on striving for peace. Those are the words of the director of the movie "The Day after Peace" which was shown as part of the first ever Geneva Peace Week held at the UN in the Swiss city. Jeremy Gilley wrote and directed the documentary as part [...]
The "epicentre of violence" in on-going clashes between Israelis and Palestinians has moved from Jerusalem, to the West Bank city of Hebron. That's according to Nickolay Mladenov, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, who briefed the Security Council on Thursday. He said that due to developments on the ground across Israel and [...]
Global targets to reduce malaria over the past 15 years have not only been met but surpassed, the UN's Roll Back Malaria Partnership reported on Thursday. Since 2000, more than 6.2 million deaths from the disease have been averted, 97 per cent of which have been among young children. Malaria is spread by mosquitoes and [...]
The last phase of a measles vaccination campaign is underway in Sudan following a deadly outbreak of the virus nearly a year ago. More than 3,400 children have been infected with measles in Sudan since December 2014. More than 70 of those children have died. In response, the UN Children's Agency (UNICEF) has launched a [...]
Norway supports Iraq stabilization A US$1.8 million partnership agreement between Norway and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) will boost stabilization efforts in areas of Iraq liberated from the terrorist group ISIL, also known as Daesh. The funding will support priorities such as repairing clinics, police stations, water facilities and power grid. Small grants will [...]
Killing Burundi's children is tantamount to "killing the future" of the central African country, a senior UN representative on genocide issues has warned. Adama Dieng, the UN Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide, told the Security Council that the potential for atrocity crimes and genocide, similar to Rwanda in 1994, was growing. The UN [...]
Women in Afghanistan want peace "but not at any cost" according to a UN human rights and gender expert in the country. The central Asian nation continues to recover from decades of instability. The most recent threat has been the outlawed Taliban movement with which the government is trying to forge a peace deal. Federica [...]
Lack of access to proper sanitation is placing millions of the world's poorest children at risk of disease and malnutrition. The finding comes in a report issued by the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF; the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the World Health Organization (WHO). It was launched in connection with World Toilet [...]
No political or ideological objective can justify bombings: UN chief A bomb attack in Nigeria that killed dozens of people and left scores injured has been condemned by the UN Secretary-General. The incident occurred in the north-eastern city of Yola on Tuesday. Ban Ki-moon reiterated that no political or ideological objective could justify the loss [...]
Although the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has declined in recent months, it is not completely over, says the official leading the UN's response to the illness. Dr David Nabarro on Wednesday reported on positive trends from countries in the region, but also ongoing risks. More than 11,300 people have died from the Ebola virus [...]
Best practices from climate policies from across the world could accelerate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming, a new UN report has found. The study by the UN climate change secretariat (UNFCCC) shows how countries can use these proven initiatives to meet the challenge of addressing climate change and sustainable development. [...]
Biodegradable plastics are thought by most to be good for the environment, but the opposite may be true. That's the startling conclusion of a UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report entitled: "Biodegradable Plastics and Marine Litter: Misconceptions, Concerns and Impacts on Marine Environments." UNEP estimates that as much as 20 million tonnes of plastic ends up [...]
Finding the money to pay for initiatives to slow down climate change is seen by many as the greatest challenge facing the international community, as it prepares for historic talks in France in December. It's hoped that a global deal will be agreed at the COP21 talks in Paris, which will limit temperature rises to [...]
The terrorist attacks in Paris, France, which led to the deaths of 129 people have been described as acts of "absolute evil" by a Holocaust event participant, at UN headquarters. The event on Wednesday is focused on the promotion of peace in the aftermath of genocide. Menachem Rosensaft is General Counsel of the World Jewish [...]
Fears being expressed over a possible "fifth column" of terrorists entering the United States along with Syrian refugees are understandable, but unfounded. That's according to the New York-based spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). So far, 31 state governors out of a total of 50 say they want to [...]
Ensuring clean water and sanitation for all people while also strengthening management of water resources such as wetlands, rivers and lakes, will also address global concerns over food security and rapid urbanization. That statement comes from the UN Secretary-General during an address to a UN General Assembly meeting on the issue of water and disasters [...]
Sri Lanka urged to step up support to families of the disappeared Authorities in Sri Lanka are being urged to adopt "urgent and profound measures" to address the rights of families of thousands of people who were disappeared during decades of conflict in the country. The appeal was made by the UN Working Group on [...]
Work is underway to try and identify reasons for child stunting beyond poor nutrition, and the answer may be found with nuclear technology according to the UN. In 2014, one in every four children under five years of age was stunted, a total of 159 million globally. Nutrition interventions alone are not fixing the problem. [...]
The issue of road safety is being "completely ignored" in some countries according to a senior UN envoy. Some 1.25 million people are killed in car crashes around the world each year. Around 90 per cent of those fatalities occur in low- and middle-income countries. In 2011, the international community set out to prevent some [...]
An escalation of violence in Burundi over the past six months has killed 17 children and injured many more, the UN children's fund, UNICEF, reports. The agency is appealing for US$25 million to assist children there or who are living as refugees in neighbouring countries. The Burundi crisis began in April when President Pierre Nkurunziza [...]
Tech firms and governments unite to fight online child sexual abuse Leading technology companies such as Apple, Facebook and Google, have joined with governments and international organizations to protect children from sexual exploitation on the Internet. This follows a two-day summit in Abu Dhabi hosted by the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom which [...]
Shifting disease patterns, extreme weather events and degraded air and food quality are examples of how climate change is already killing tens of thousands of people each year, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday. The UN agency said the upcoming global climate change conference in the French capital, Paris is an "important opportunity" [...]
The inclusion of goals related to cancer and other non-communicable diseases in the new global development agenda has been welcomed by the head of the UN's nuclear energy watchdog, the IAEA. IAEA chief Yukiya Amano was speaking in the General Assembly on Tuesday, just weeks after world leaders met there to agree on the new [...]
"We have the tools" to do better in the fight against terrorism without compromising human rights. That was the message to the UN Security Council on Tuesday, from the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Mr Ban was briefing the Council debate on Security, Development and the Root Causes of Conflict. Matthew Wells reports. Duration: 2’34″
Refugees should not be turned into scapegoats following the terrorist attacks in Paris, France the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has urged. The agency said that it is 'disturbed' by language that demonizes refugees as a group and is concerned that some states may backtrack on commitments they've already made to help refugees in light [...]
Paris attacks crime against culture The terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday may constitute a crime against humanity. They were also a crime against culture; that according to a UN human rights expert. Karima Bennoune, UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, said language used by the assailants demonstrated the "hateful worldview" behind [...]
Somalia's international partners are being urged to increase their support to the country as it works to advance human rights. The call comes from Ivan Šimonović, UN Assistant Secretary-General for human rights, who concluded a five-day visit to the Horn of Africa country on Tuesday. Somalia's federal government took office in 2012. Prior to that, [...]
The combined effects of climate change, poverty and terrorism are taking a heavy toll on the Sahel. That's according to the UN Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the region, Toby Lanzer, who has been traveling throughout the nine countries in west and central Africa that make up the Sahel. Some 25 million people there are said [...]
World hunger won't end unless "ambitious action" is taken to address the causes and effects of climate change. That's according to a senior expert at the World Food Programme (WFP). The United Nations says there are 795 million hungry people in the world, 98 per cent of whom are in developing countries. The international community [...]
The terrorists who carried out the multiple deadly attacks in Paris last Friday were promoting a "hateful ideology" according to a United Nations independent expert. The attacks which left 129 people dead were claimed by the ISIL terrorist group, also known in Arabic, as Daesh. The Islamist group controls large areas of Syria and Iraq [...]
Rising education standards means greater productivity, but not necessarily better job prospects. That's according to a major new report from the UN's International Labour Organization (ILO). The new edition of its Key Indicators of the Labour Market (KILM) report also shows that middle-income countries are growing the fastest globally. Matthew Wells has more. A huge [...]
The international community is being urged by the UN humanitarian chief not to "squander" momentum generated by this weekend's conference on Syria to bring an end to the country's ongoing conflict. Stephen O'Brien, head of the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, told the Security Council on Monday that the talks held in Vienna represented a [...]
El Niño to strengthen This year's El Niño weather system ranks among the three strongest in the past half century and is expected to strengthen in the coming months, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has reported. WMO Secretary General Michel Jarreau has welcomed "unprecedented" coordination by meteorological services worldwide in responding to the climatic [...]
"We must stand together" against terrorism, the words of the UN cultural organization's chief marking its 70th anniversary on Monday in Paris. Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, was determined that the milestone event, including the organization's world Leaders' Forum, would go ahead, despite the terrorist attacks in the city on Friday. The day marking the [...]
Malnutrition could kill up to 700,000 children each year in Africa's Sahel region, the UN humanitarian coordinator there has stated. Toby Lanzer said structural issues such as poor governance coupled with the impact of climate change are behind what he described as this "terrible situation." Mr Lanzer took up his post in July and has [...]
The misuse of antibiotics puts people at risk for serious, even-life threatening illnesses. That's according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which is using its first-ever World Antibiotics Week to warn people about the dangers associated with the misuse of antibiotics, including the risk of bacteria resistance. Veronica Reeves spoke to Dr Marc Sprenger from [...]
Israel urged to stop "unjust" home demolitions The demolition of the homes of alleged perpetrators of attacks against Israelis is "inherently unjust," according to a senior UN official in the region. Robert Piper, UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Aid and Development in the occupied Palestinian territory, said such action punishes not only alleged perpetrators but also [...]
All sides in Libya appear to be committing violations of international humanitarian law, including possible war crimes, according to a UN report published on Monday. The report documents indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas, abductions, torture and executions, and other serious abuses. The report says civilians continue to bear the brunt of the violence, instability and [...]
Tackling climate change is the only way to address poverty, according to the UN's leading expert on climate issues. In fact, Christiana Figueres, head of the UN climate secretariat, UNFCCC, sees these two global concerns as "one and the same." In just a few weeks' time world leaders will be meeting in Paris to agree [...]
The large number of internally displaced people (IDPs) in the Sudanese region of Darfur means that the UN mission there (UNAMID) is likely to continue. That's according to the Acting UNAMID Police Commissioner, Dr Mutasem Almajali, who says the number of IDPs in the country has nearly doubled to almost 2.6 million people in the [...]
The rule of law at sea must be reinforced to allow people not to suffer from illegal fishing; that's according to the International Criminal Police Organization, or INTERPOL. Experts are gathering in Singapore from Monday to discuss environmental security and law enforcement worldwide at a conference organized by INTERPOL and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). [...]
World leaders must work together to fight terrorism and the harmful effects of climate change, said the UN Secretary-General at the G20 summit in Turkey. Following the "barbaric" terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday night Ban Ki-moon said that terrorism was a "threat to all mankind" but he also asked leading politicians to focus on [...]
The UN Secretary-General has condemned the "despicable terrorist attacks" carried out on Friday evening in Paris. In a statement he extended his deepest condolences to the families of the victims. Matthew Wells reports. On Saturday, the ISIL terrorist group claimed that it carried out the shootings and bombings across Paris, which left at least 128 [...]
That's the message from the World Health Organization, as the UN agency marks World Diabetes Day on Saturday. Diabetes is the direct cause of about 1.5 million deaths worldwide each year, with about 80 per cent of those deaths coming in low- and middle-income countries. Close to 350 million people around the globe suffer from [...]
The UN Security Council has condemned Thursday's suicide bomb attacks, which killed at least 43 people in Beirut, in the "strongest terms." The members of the Council urged all states to cooperate fully with the Lebanese authorities in bringing the perpetrators to justice. Matthew Wells reports. The terrorist attacks which consisted of two suicide bombings [...]
Goals of Paris climate conference are critical, say business leaders The long-term goals of the COP21 climate change conference beginning later this month are critical to the future of the global economy. That's the message to the dozens of UN Member States who will be in Paris, from a group of leading businesses and civil [...]
Liberia is committed to moving ahead by assuming responsibility for security in the West African nation; that's according to the UN's most senior envoy in the country. Liberia is recovering from the recent outbreak of the deadly Ebola disease as well as the longer term effects of a bloody civil war. In June next year, [...]
Protecting people in some of the world's most dangerous places is now a critical component of the work done by the UN Police, or UNPOL, the Security Council was told on Friday. In a briefing to the Council, several high-ranking UNPOL officials said that their work, often done in hardship conditions, continued to be challenging, [...]
Insecurity and a "very broken down" health system are affecting the delivery of medical care to millions of Syrians, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. WHO says nearly 60 per cent of the country's 113 hospitals have been closed or destroyed. The Syrian conflict is approaching its fifth year, with more than 250,000 [...]
More than 3,000 refugees arriving on Greek island of Lesvos each day Around 3,300 refugees are continuing to arrive on the Greek island of Lesvos each day. That's according to latest figures from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. Out of a total of 660,000 refugees and migrants who have reached Greece so far this year, [...]
Countries around the world are being urged to pay more attention to road safety to try to reduce the number of deaths and injuries on the roads. Next week, at the second Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Brasil, the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) together with the UN Special Envoy for Road [...]
Five million Palestine refugees have faced a "dramatic change" in their situation over the past year according to the UN agency that supports them, UNWRA. Upheaval in the Middle East has forced millions of Palestinians to seek more assistance from the UN. In Syria around 95 per cent of the estimated 430,000 refugees there are [...]
"Indiscriminate" attacks on Syrian civilians by government forces have increased in the last year. That's according to evidence presented to the UN Security Council on Thursday, by the independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria. Matthew Wells reports: The Commission briefed Security Council members for several hours and said that violations and abuses against civilians by [...]
Twin suicide bombings that reportedly killed 37 people and wounded nearly 200 others in Beirut, Lebanon have been condemned by the UN. The UN Special Coordinator for the country was speaking on Thursday after the attack in a suburb of the capital. Matthew Wells reports. The bombers struck a southern suburb of the capital Beirut [...]
ISIL poised to "prolong its reign of terror" in Iraq The terrorist organisation, ISIL, has the money and military capabilities to "prolong its reign of terror" in Iraq. That warning, from the top UN official in the country in a briefing to the Security Council. ISIL controls large portions of territory in the northern and [...]
Pneumonia: world's leading killer of children under five Pneumonia is the world's leading killer of children under five-years-old. That's the grim statistic underlying World Pneumonia Day, which is being marked on Thursday by the World Health Organization (WHO), among others. An estimated 922,000 children under five have died from the infectious disease this year [...]
The UN mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) has said it is taking new allegations of misconduct, sexual exploitation and abuse, "very seriously". The new allegations come following earlier claims of possible misconduct by UN staff in the country. The head of MINUSCA has condemned the alleged acts and said the UN is committed [...]
The Security Council has condemned the increasing violence taking place in Burundi and threatened "additional measures" against those fuelling the crisis in the East African nation. At least 240 people have died and thousands have been displaced after several months of protest and conflict in Burundi. The crisis began in April, after the sitting president [...]
Impressive drop in maternal mortality rates Maternal mortality rates worldwide have dropped by almost 44 per cent over the last 15 years. That's according to a report released by the United Nations. The report indicates that maternal deaths around the world fell from about 532,000 in 1990, to an estimated 303,000 this year. Maternal mortality [...]
"Step up to the plate" Parliamentarians in Burundi are urged International concern continues to mount over Burundi, where a months' long political crisis has led to hundreds of deaths, and forced thousands to flee to neighbouring countries. The situation began in April after President Pierre N-kurun-ziza sought a contested third term.The UN on Monday warned [...]
Fifty cents—whether in Euro or United States coins—probably won't buy you much anywhere in the world. But this relatively small sum can feed a hungry child for an entire day, according to the World Food Programme (WFP). The UN agency is banking on ShareTheMeal, a new mobile phone application ("app") to support its school feeding [...]
Concern has been raised by the United Nations over "intimidation, threats and attacks" against human rights defenders in Venezuela. Speaking in Geneva on Thursday, the UN human rights chief, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, also raised concerns about the independence of the judiciary in Venezuela. Daniel Dickinson has more: Venezuela's President, Nicolas Maduro was in Geneva [...]
Women's contributions to ending war and bringing about peace are being honoured in a photo exhibition which has just opened at UN Headquarters in New York City. 'Poppies: Women and War' features portraits of women and girls whose lives have been affected by conflict alongside images of the flower that serves as a reminder of [...]
More than 250,000 Iraqis successfully vaccinated against cholera The first round of a cholera vaccination campaign targeting 255,000 refugees and displaced people in Iraq has been successfully completed. The government campaign, with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) reached more than 90 per cent of its intended [...]
Maternal mortality rates worldwide have dropped by almost 44 per cent over the last 15 years. That's according to a new report released Thursday by the United Nations. The report indicates maternal deaths around the world dropped from about 532,000 in 1990, to an estimated 303,000 this year. Maternal mortality is defined as a woman's [...]
Four Kenyan crew onboard a UN aid flight which crashed in South Sudan have escaped with minor injuries. A cargo plane chartered by the World Food Programme, (WFP) crash-landed in northern Upper Nile state, shortly after take-off on Tuesday afternoon. Earlier this month more than 30 people died after another cargo plane crashed in South [...]
After Typhoon Haiyan slammed the Philippines two years ago this month, people in the town of Tanauan came together with "an innate desire to be of service." That's according to mayor Pel Tecson who believes this community spirit, or as it is known locally "bayanihan," was the reason why his hometown was able to bounce [...]
A new agreement on radio frequency space for tracking airliners could help prevent the loss of another passenger plane like Malaysian Airlines flight, MH370. That's the hope of delegates attending the UN World Radio communication Conference in Geneva on Wednesday. Veronica Reeves reports. The agreement was made possible by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) which [...]
New allegations of misconduct, sexual exploitation and abuse, have been made against United Nations troops in the Central African Republic or CAR. They follow earlier claims of possible misconduct by UN staff in the country. The UN mission there, MINUSCA, said the allegations were brought to its attention on Wednesday. Matthew Wells reports. The head [...]
Don't help refugees "at the expense" of long-term aid, countries are urged Don't fund emergency refugee programmes by cutting long-term aid budgets. That was plea to donor countries coming from the UN Secretary-General on Wednesday. UN chief Ban Ki-moon said that even though the world faced the largest crisis of forced displacement since the Second [...]
The terrorist organisation, ISIL, has the money and military capabilities to "prolong its reign of terror" in Iraq. That warning, from the top UN official in Iraq during a briefing to the Security Council on the current situation in the country. ISIL controls large portions of territory in the northern and western parts of the [...]
International concern continues to mount over Burundi, where a months' long political crisis has led to the deaths of hundreds of people and forced thousands to flee to neighbouring countries. The situation began in April after President Pierre Nkurunziza sought a contested third term. The UN's human rights chief earlier this week warned of the [...]
Heavy rains and cyclones that have plagued Yemen and northeast Africa could lead to a surge in desert locusts in the coming months. The warning came from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), on Wednesday which said that torrential downpours had the potential to trigger destructive swarms. Daniel Dickinson has more. Tropical cyclones Chapala and [...]
Women are playing a key role in Mali's recovery from violent conflict, according to the UN's head of humanitarian operations. The government and rebels had been fighting for control of the West African country but a peace deal was signed in June this year. Around 3.1 million people are still in need of relief assistance. [...]
Murder of Afghan civilians "may amount to war crimes" The murder of seven civilians abducted by militants in Afghanistan last month, may amount to war crimes. That's according to the head of the UN mission in the country, Nicholas Haysom. The seven were all members of the Hazara religious minority, and included two women, a [...]
Ongoing elections in Haiti are "important" as the Caribbean country has not had a functioning parliament since January. That's the assessment of Sandra Honoré, head of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). The electoral process began in August and preliminary results from the first round of presidential elections and parliamentary elections held last month [...]
More than 160,000 Sri Lankan children born since the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami can thank a German lawyer for their safe start in life. Kerstin Jeska-Thorwart was celebrating Christmas at her home on the island nation when the tsunami struck, killing more than 200,000 people in 14 countries. Moved by the overwhelming loss and [...]
Investment in research and development in the science sector has been boosted by private contributions as public funding has declined. That's according to the latest Science Report from the UN cultural and scientific organization, UNESCO. The report, which suggests that science will be essential to reach many of the newly agreed Sustainable Development Goals or [...]
Talk must give way to action on climate change Talk must now "give way to action" at the forthcoming climate change conference in Paris, France. That's according to the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, speaking at the Fourth Summit of Arab and South American Countries, taking place in Saudi Arabia. With less than three weeks to [...]
Local public schools in Lebanon can accommodate only half of the 400,000 school-age Syrian refugee children in the country according to the UN Refugee Agency, (UNHCR). More than four million people have fled Syria as a result of the four-year long civil war that has engulfed the country. Many parents have arrived in Lebanon and [...]
Start-up companies, artists, musicians and humanitarian workers have been examining how technological innovations can improve the lives of poor and marginalized children worldwide. They have been meeting in Helsinki, Finland, at a two-day summit organized by the government and the UN children's fund, UNICEF, which ended on Tuesday. Dianne Penn has been talking to Gary [...]
An estimated 11 million children are at risk from hunger, disease and dehydration, in eastern and southern Africa, as a result of a strengthening El Niño, which is also causing droughts and floods in many other regions of the world. That's according to the United Nations children's agency, UNICEF. The agency says that the weather [...]
Countries around the world should follow Canada's example and take more refugees fleeing war-torn Syria. That's the message from the UN's High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), after Canada's new administration pledged to take an extra 25,000 Syrians by the end of this year. Matthew Wells reports. Canada had already agreed to take 10,000 refugees from [...]
Deadly infection almost eliminated in Africa's "meningitis belt" The deadly bacterial infection, Meningitis A, is close to elimination across a large part of Africa, thanks to a vaccine introduced just five years ago. The bacterial disease can cause severe brain damage or death within hours, but in the area that used to known as [...]
Programmes that promote women's entrepreneurship and educate adolescents about HIV and AIDS have changed the lives of more than 6,000 people in Zimbabwe. That's according to Stella S. Dongo who heads the Community Empowerment Project which was established as a means to buffer the blow of the 2008 global economic meltdown on citizens of the [...]
Governments seeking to implement public policy initiatives and new globally agreed development goals have a "fundamental tool" that can help them: the Internet. That's according to Lenni Montiel, Assistant Secretary-General in the UN's Department of Economic and Social Affairs, who's making the case ahead of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) which opens on Tuesday in [...]
The "vulnerability and isolation" of Palestinian refugees is approaching a level that has not been seen for generations. That's according to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). There are 5.2 million Palestinian refugees living in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza and surrounding countries. Matthew Wells has more. The UNRWA Commissioner-General, [...]
Burundi is "at a crossroads" and the international community needs to "wake up" to the possibility of genocide. That's the stern warning given to the UN Security Council on Monday, by the UN's genocide expert. At least 240 people have died and thousands have been displaced after months of protest and violence in Burundi this [...]
A system to release children from armed groups in Colombia needs to be set up as soon as possible, according to the UN's most senior envoy in the country. It follows a commitment made by FARC, Colombia's largest rebel group, to stop the recruitment of children under the age of 18. It's thought that tens [...]
Female police numbers at record high in UN, but more still needed More female police officers than ever before serve the UN, but many more are needed. In remarks to open the annual meeting of police personnel at UN headquarters, the Chef de Cabinet in the Secretary-General's office, Susana Malcorra, said that although numbers had [...]
The killing of two Syrian citizen journalists found dead just over a week ago, has been condemned by the head of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Ibrahim Abdel Qader and Fares Hammadi were found dead in the city of Sanlirfa, in south-eastern Turkey. Matthew Wells reports: The two men were both independent [...]
From a failed state to a country that is "coming together." That is how UN Special Representative Nicholas Kay has described Somalia, The envoy was addressing the Security Council which on Monday unanimously agreed to give more international support to the country as it gears up for elections next year while also confronting ongoing challenges [...]
The amount of harmful greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached yet a new record high in 2014, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The UN agency's annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin has been released just three weeks before the international community gathers in Paris, France in an attempt to reach a legally-binding climate deal. The [...]
Greenhouse gas emissions hit a new record The level of greenhouse gas emissions in the earth's atmosphere hit another record high during 2014. That's according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) which reports that since 1990 there has been a 36% increase in global warming due to CO2 and other emissions. The WMO's Secretary-General said [...]
Nigerian singer Nneka, and MzVee from Ghana are shining a light on women's rights through their music. They stopped by the World Bank Headquarters in Washington to participate in the series #Music4Dev. The initiative welcomes artists from around the globe to share their music while raising awareness about development issues. D'Banj, also from Nigeria, kicked [...]
Stricter rules and guidelines against the dumping of radioactive material at sea will protect humans and marine life. That's according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN agency responsible for the methodology recently adopted by nearly 90 countries party to a 1972 Convention on preventing marine pollution. Although no highly dangerous radioactive waste [...]
Humanitarian aid to civilians in eastern Ukraine "has to trump everything" said the UN humanitarian chief after visiting the area. Stephen O'Brien, UN Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said he had had helpful discussions with Russian officials to prioritize aid. The UN estimates that 1.5 million people have been displaced, with almost 8,000 killed, since [...]
Alarm at escalation of violence in Burundi The UN Secretary-General has said he's alarmed by the ongoing escalation of violence in Burundi. Ban Ki-moon said the discovery of the bodies of civilian victims, many apparently summarily executed, has become a regular occurrence in several neighborhoods of the capital, Bujumbura. His comments follow the death of [...]
The lack of food in some parts of Unity State in South Sudan could lead to famine, according to the UN humanitarian office, OCHA. Fighting between government and rebel forces in southern and central Unity state intensified in October and thousands of people were forced to flee in search of safety. Daniel Dickinson reports. OCHA [...]
Countries around the world have a duty to protect the innocent and abolish the death penalty. That was the message brought to the heart of the UN by Kirk Bloodsworth this week. On death row for two years, he was the first prisoner to be exonerated thanks to DNA evidence, more than 20 years ago. [...]
UN agencies and their partners are working to combat a cholera outbreak in Iraq that so far has resulted in more than 2,200 cases of the diarrhoeal disease. Cholera is caused by contaminated food or water. It can lead to severe dehydration and death if treatment is not provided quickly. The UN children's agency, UNICEF, [...]
Reception facilities for migrants in Greece needed to stabilize situation An agreement to provide more reception places for refugees and migrants arriving in Greece will help to stabilize the ongoing crisis, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has said. An estimated 20,000 people are currently on a number of Greek islands, placing considerable strain on the [...]
Women and children around the world suffer the "poisonous" effects of corruption the most. That's according to the chief of the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA), an organization co-founded by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. Several of the newly-adopted Sustainable Development Goals tie in anti-corruption and the push for greater gender equality. That's a [...]
The countdown has begun to mark the end of Ebola transmission in Sierra Leone, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Friday. The announcement is expected on Saturday if no further cases of the killer disease are found between now and then, marking seven weeks of zero cases in the west African country. Despite the good [...]
Efforts are under way in Iraq to shield people from the effects of a cholera outbreak that has already infected more than 2,200 people, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has said. Around 20 per cent of them are children, across 15 of the country's 18 governorates. There are concerns that the disease could spread further, [...]
The push to limit greenhouse gas emissions and keep global temperatures from rising unchecked has seen a "historic" breakthrough in the run-up to a key climate conference in Paris, the UN said Friday. Less than a month before governments meet in the French capital, the UN Environment Programme, UNEP, said that it's seen a "significant" [...]
The number of people who do not have enough to eat in East Africa could rise by more than 80 per cent in the coming months due to weather variations brought on by the climatic event known as El Niño. The UN estimates that more than 22 million people in the region might need food assistance [...]
A social services project run by the Philippines government has changed life in indigenous village in the north of the country, according to one of the residents. Elsie Lomong-Oy is a member of the Igorot people in Besao mountain province where roughly half of the population falls below the poverty line. She recently spoke at [...]
Concern at "never-ending flow" of vulnerable EU arrivals Hopes that the colder weather might see a drop in the number of people risking their lives to reach Europe have proved groundless after the UN Children's Agency, UNICEF, on Wednesday said that the number of women and children seeking safety, has doubled in a month. The [...]
Access to Cypriot burial sites welcomed by UN An agreement by Turkey to provide access to 30 suspected burial sites in military areas in the north of Cyprus has been welcomed by the UN Secretary-General. Over 2,000 Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots went missing as a result of conflict on the Mediterranean island in 1963 [...]
Vulnerable communities caught in the middle of a conflict in eastern Ukraine urgently need relief aid, the UN Humanitarian Chief has said. Stephen O'Brien concluded a three-day visit to Ukraine on Thursday and called for "sustained and unimpeded access" to conflict-affected people. Daniel Dickinson reports. Around four million people in the east of Ukraine need [...]
Whole future of the UN is "at stake" over peacekeeping reform The whole future of the UN is at stake over the modernizing of its peacekeeping operations to face new challenges. That's according to the Deputy Secretary-General on Friday, addressing a meeting on the future of peacekeeping around the world. A top-to-bottom review is underway [...]
"Surge" in wildlife crime reported A surge in wildlife crime, especially affecting African elephants and rhinos, is being fuelled by corruption according to the Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, also known as CITES. The CITES agreement was drawn up in 1973 to ensure the trade in specimens of wild animals [...]
Turmoil and instability in Libya are having a "debilitating" impact on the human rights situation in the country, the Security Council heard on Thursday. Libya has been engulfed in violence, instability and political division since the overthrow of former President Muammar Al-Qaddafi in 2011. However, the proposed creation of a government of national unity is [...]
Human rights workers need greater protection from governments around the world. That's according to the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, who this week launched a new global survey. Michel Forst wants to identify the best ways of improving the effectiveness and safety of people working in the human rights field, [...]
The black box flight recorder that could help explain why more than 30 people died in a plane crash in South Sudan on Wednesday, is still missing. That's despite a search on Thursday by Bangladeshi scuba divers from the UN peacekeeping force (UNMISS), around the White Nile river crash site. According to media reports, police [...]
Justice and better protection is needed for writers in Bangladesh, following a series of high-profile murders, believed to have been carried out by religious extremists. That's according to the UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, who on Thursday strongly condemned continuing violent attacks against bloggers and publishers. At least five people have [...]
Trafficking in ancient artefacts provides a source of "enormous illicit profits" for terrorism according to the UN. Conflict in the Middle East and West Africa in recent years has led to the increased destruction, looting, and the illegal sale of cultural property. Daniel Dickinson reports. Instability and conflict in places like Mali in West Africa [...]
600,000 migrants expected in Greece in next 4 months Up to 600,000 more migrants are expected to arrive in Greece from Turkey over the next four months, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has warned. The agency said harsh weather conditions in southern Europe are likely to intensify the suffering of the refugees and migrants. More [...]
Countries negotiating an international climate deal are deadlocked over whether developed and developing countries should be treated the same, according to the UN. Some states are arguing that there should be differentiation between rich and poor countries with different rules to reflect varying national capacities. The international community is meeting in Paris in December in [...]
Now is the time for compromise and consensus building on climate change With just three weeks to go before world leaders meet in Paris to negotiate a new climate change agreement, the time for "compromise and consensus building" has come. That's according to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who addressed Member States at a high-level event [...]
A cyclone which was headed for Yemen has been downgraded, but thousands of Yeminis have still lost their homes and land to flooding, according to the UN. The coastline of southern Yemen had been threatened by Cyclone Chapala on Tuesday, but by Wednesday it had weakened to a tropical depression. UN agencies working in the [...]
Described as one of the "darkest chapters" in the history of mankind, UN member states met Wednesday to commemorate the end of the transatlantic slave trade. The plenary meeting was organized under the theme "Women and Slavery", as the UN marked the 200th anniversary of the end of slavery and the slave trade. Daniel Dickinson [...]
Governments across the world need to collect better data to help combat all forms of discrimination. That's according to the UN's Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, Mutuma Ruteere. He said that that more detailed statistics on citizens' ethnicity, economic and cultural patterns, would lead to better awareness and better government policies. But in [...]
Human rights activists facing increasing risks Human rights activists are facing increasing risks, according to a top UN human rights expert. UN Special Rapporteur Michel Forst launched a new worldwide survey Wednesday, aimed at identifying steps countries can take to better-protect human rights defenders. Mr Forst said violations against human rights activists are being carried [...]
Countries need to agree what have been described as more "granular" goals on combating illegal drugs. The call comes in a report from the United Nations University called "What Comes After the War on Drugs – Flexibility, Fragmentation or Principled Pluralism?" It's designed to serve as a starting point for discussion at next year's General [...]
Hopes that the colder weather might see a drop in the number of people risking their lives to reach Europe have proved groundless after the UN Children's Agency, UNICEF, on Wednesday said that the number of women and children seeking safety has doubled in a month. The warning comes after the UN agency reported that [...]
Corruption is an obstacle to progress and prosperity and holds back development, according to the UN. The international community is gathering this week in St Petersburg, Russia, to discuss how to tackle corruption around the world and advance the recently adopted Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs. Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs [...]
If the UN is to achieve ambitious global goals that are designed to help the future of humanity, it could do well to look to science, a leading physicist believes. Professor Herwig Schopper, former head of the world-famous CERN research laboratory that's credited with developing the internet, along with other major discoveries, told a conference [...]
Discrimination against people of African descent remains a significant problem in many parts of the world. That's the reality underlying a special event at UN headquarters on Tuesday headlined "Confronting the Silence…Dialogue on Structural Racism against people of African Descent Worldwide." The meeting was one of a series of events being held to mark the [...]
"Deepest sympathies" expressed by UN chief on anniversary of Israeli leader The UN Secretary-General has expressed his "deepest sympathies" to the citizens of Israel on the 20th anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin. Mr Rabin was assassinated in November 1995 by an Israeli radical who was opposed to the peace process [...]
Changes to typical climatic patterns in many parts of the world could mean that around two billion people will be battling hunger and malnutrition in the years ahead. That's according to the UN's Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Hilal Elver, who says climate change remains a "serious threat" to food security. In December, [...]
The issue of child statelessness needs to be addressed before it leads to problems that could haunt young people for the rest of their lives. That's according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres speaking at the launch of a report called "I am Here, I Belong: the Urgent Need to End Childhood [...]
The "prestige and reputation" of the UN's General Assembly is at stake over recent corruption allegations, said the organization's chief, on Tuesday. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon addressed the assembly on Tuesday, as a debate got underway about revitalizing its work. At the beginning of October, federal prosecutors in the US made a series of corruption allegations [...]
Efforts are under way in Kunduz, Afghanistan, to assess people's aid needs after heavy fighting in recent months, aid co-ordinators said Tuesday. According to UN partner the International Organization for Migration (IOM), thousands of families have been displaced in the province where security fears have prevented humanitarian access. Kunduz recently came to prominence after Taliban [...]
A surge in wildlife crime, especially affecting elephants and rhinos, is being fueled by corruption according to the Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, also known as CITES. The CITES agreement was drawn up in 1973 to ensure the trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their [...]
Medical supplies reach besieged Syrians for first time since July Syrians in desperate need of medical supplies in besieged areas of the war-torn country, have been reached by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the first time since July. More than 290,000 life-saving treatments have been delivered to Dara'a and Hama. The vital shipments include [...]
Preparations are under way to help Yemenis cope with a rare tropical storm that's hit the country, amid fears that up to 10 years' rain may fall before the skies clear, the UN said Tuesday. Tropical storm Chapala, which the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) describes as a "very severe cyclonic" weather event, has brought with [...]
Syrian refugees in Lebanon are fearful that uncertainty about the future might drive their children to join radical groups or make the treacherous sea journey to Europe. That's according to UN Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Philippe Lazzarini, who is calling for more global support for the country. Lebanon has a population of around five [...]
Abduction of Congolese aid workers condemned The abduction on Sunday of 14 aid workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been strongly condemned by the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the country. The people were working for a Congolese non-governmental organization in the Rutshuru area in North Kivu province in the east of the [...]
A quarter of a million children in South Sudan's Warrap state are being screened for malnutrition through a campaign by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN children's fund, UNICEF. Although not directly affected by South Sudan's ongoing conflict, Warrap state has one of the highest rates of acute malnutrition in the country, according [...]
Yemen's fragile food security is deteriorating fast, the World Food Programme (WFP) has warned. The UN food agency said that 10 out of Yemen's 22 governorates are classified as facing food insecurity at emergency level; that's one step below famine. Ana Carmo reports. Yemen has one of the highest rates of child malnutrition in the [...]
Corruption and bribery must end if new development goals are to be achieved; that's according to the UN Secretary-General in an address to a meeting on the UN Convention against Corruption. In September the international community agreed the new Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs, 17 anti-poverty targets that will frame global development over the next [...]
Asia and the Pacific remains the most dynamic region of the global economy but growth in regional trade and investment flows is slowing, the UN said on Monday. The latest economic growth report by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) emphasizes the need for countries to adjust to both [...]
More than eight million Ethiopians need food aid following crop failures brought on by the climatic phenomenon known as El Niño. The changing weather conditions caused by El Niño have led to reduced rainfall in large parts of Africa with Ethiopia being hit hard, according to the World Food Programme (WFP). The UN agency says [...]
Deep concern over hate speech in Myanmar The UN Secretary-General has expressed his deep concern at the continual use of hate speech in Myanmar. He said the incitement of what he called "communal animosities" and the abuse of religion for political purposes was being carried out by extreme elements among the majority community in the [...]
Europe's refugee crisis continues, the UN said Monday, with latest estimates showing that a record 218,000 people crossed the Mediterranean Sea last month alone. That's almost as many as for the whole of 2014, according to the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR. Greece continues to be the main landing point for the travellers, along with Italy, [...]
The world has been presented a unique opportunity to recognize the contributions and needs of people of African descent. That's according to actor and Goodwill Ambassador Danny Glover, who is taking an active role in promoting the UN's International Decade for People of African Descent, which kicked off last December. Daniel Dickinson spoke with Mr [...]
More than 700 journalists have been killed in the last decade – one every five days – according to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. In marking the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on Monday, the UN chief highlighted the urgent need to do more to protect journalists; and bring those who harm [...]
A deadly attack against a hotel in Somalia's capital has been condemned in the strongest terms by the UN Security Council. At least 15 people were killed when Al-Shabaab militants stormed the Sahafi hotel in Mogadishu on Sunday after exploding car bombs at the gates. Dianne Penn reports. The Security Council issued a statement reaffirming [...]
Economic growth in sub-Saharan African has weakened in the last year, according to a newly released report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The strong growth momentum of recent years appears to have dissipated, according to the IMF's Regional Economic Outlook for sub-Saharan Africa. The report puts growth at less than 4 per cent, which [...]
Another xenophobic attack in South Africa and refugees on the move across the Malawi border are a major cause for concern, according to UN agencies in the region. More than 100 refugees fled into Malawi from Mozambique in July following clashes between government forces and gunmen from the former rebel movement, RENAMO. And further south, [...]
