This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The start of the New Year finds the world facing four looming threats to human progress: surging geopolitical tensions, the climate crisis, global mistrust and the downsides of technology, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday. In a wide-ranging speech to the General Assembly, the UN chief outlined strategies to […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. Independent UN rights experts said on Wednesday they were “gravely concerned” over allegations that in 2018, a messaging app account belonging to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia was used to hack into The Washington Post owner’s mobile phone, calling for an “immediate investigation” […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the UN peacekeeping operation in the country, MONUSCO, are being urged to develop a comprehensive joint strategy to address insecurity in Beni territory, located in the east. The recommendation follows an independent assessment into deadly attacks allegedly carried out by the Allied […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. Seventy-five years ago, when soldiers of the Soviet army entered the Auschwitz concentration camp in occupied Poland, they were “stunned into silence” by what they saw, UN Secretary-General António Guterres recalled on Tuesday. While the Nazis had attempted to hide evidence of mass murder, “millions […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. Recent heightened tensions in the Middle East underscore the critical need for dialogue and diplomacy in the region, the UN’s Political Affairs chief told the Security Council on Tuesday. Rosemary DiCarlo was briefing ambassadors on developments related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as recent protests in Lebanon, against the backdrop […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The UN agency devoted to ending AIDS as a public health threat is calling on top politicians and governments across the world to ensure the right to quality healthcare is upheld, and not just a privilege to be enjoyed by the wealthy. In a press […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. What had been largely peaceful demonstrations against Lebanon’s Government in the capital Beirut grew increasingly violent over the weekend, sparking the concern of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. “Some demonstrators have resorted to using violence to express their grievances, and security forces […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. Inequality is growing for more than 70 per cent of the global population, exacerbating the risks of divisions and hampering economic and social development. But the rise is far from inevitable and can be tackled at a national and international level, says a flagship […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. An invasive species of seaweed which has blighted tourist beaches in Mexico has become more aggressive due to the heating effects of climate change. But now, thanks to support from the UN Development Programme (UNDP), efforts are underway to hold back its advance and protect local ecosystems. Scientists say an increase in the temperature of the sea, […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The UN Human Rights Committee has determined that countries cannot deport people who have sought asylum due to climate-related threats. The historic ruling marks the first decision by a UN human rights treaty body based on a complaint filed by an individual seeking protection from the effects of […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. Following an announcement by China’s national health body that a new virus first identified there, can be transmitted from person to person, the World Health Organization (WHO) is to hold a meeting on Wednesday to decide if it should be declared a global health […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. Around half a billion people work fewer paid hours than they would like, or are not getting enough access to paid work, shows a study published by the International Labour Organization (ILO) on Monday, which also forecasts that unemployment will rise by about 2.5 […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The top UN aid official in Nigeria has condemned a weekend attack against a major humanitarian facility in the north-east of the country. Non-State armed groups targeted the humanitarian hub in Ngala, Borno state, on Saturday evening, burning an entire section of the facility as well as a […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are dealing with desert locust swarms of “unprecedented size and destructive potential” that could spill over into more countries in East Africa, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned on Monday. Destroying hundreds of thousands of acres of […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. Twenty-two journalists were reported killed in the Latin America and Caribbean region in 2019, making it the deadliest part of the world for the press, followed by 15 in Asia-Pacific, and 10 in Arab States. The figures come from the Observatory of Killed Journalists […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. Tobacco smokers who quit at least four weeks before undergoing surgery not only have a lower risk of complications, but also show better results six months later than those who continue, the United Nations health agency  said on Monday. While tobacco smokers face a significantly […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The President of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly on Monday set out his 2020 priorities, which aim to make the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) a reality by the start of the next decade. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, spelled out that these encompass […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The head of the UN health agency, WHO, has set out his urgent global health challenges for the next ten years – designated the “Decade of Action” by the UN General Assembly” – and underscored the importance of investing in public health, in a […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. Colombia has continued to make “significant strides in its peace process”, the top UN envoy in the country told the Security Council on Monday. Special Representative Carlos Ruiz Massieu, who also heads the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, pointed out that even in the […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. It is “essential” for China to continue investigating the source of a previously unknown strain of coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared on Monday, following confirmation that an infected patient is being treated in Thailand. In its statement, WHO identified the patient as […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. On 12 January 2010, a 7.0 magnitude quake struck Haiti, devastating its capital, Port-au-Prince. About 220,000 people were reportedly killed, among them, 102 UN staff who lost their lives when the building housing the stabilization mission there, known as MINUSTAH, collapsed. Some 300,000 people were injured and 1.5 million become homeless […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has extended his profound condolences to the Royal family, the Government and people of Oman on the passing of Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, who passed away late Friday at the age of 79. “Sultan Qaboos led Oman for 50 years and […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The mining of gold in unregulated and often hand-dug pits in West Africa, can be a deadly occupation, but one which many impoverished people in the region are pushed into by necessity, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). An artisanal miner holds a small nugget of gold dug in […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The Security Council on Friday evening renewed a UN operation delivering humanitarian aid across the Syrian border to millions of civilians, but some of the body’s members expressed disappointment that the “watered down” measure cut in half the number of crossing points and duration […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. Inaction when it comes to the fight back against damaging climate change is not an option, the President of the UN General Assembly told a major energy conference in Abu Dhabi on Friday. Tijani Muhammad-Bande was addressing the International Organization for Renewable Energy High-Level meeting […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The targeting of the Hema community in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with violence, including killings and rape, may amount to crimes against humanity, said the UN on Friday. An investigation carried out by the UN Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) in […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. A new law in El Salvador opens a door for tens of thousands of forced displacement victims in the country to access to life-saving humanitarian assistance and have their basic rights restored, said the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) on Friday. The legislation, which was […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) is calling on the European Union (EU) to make 2020 “the year of change for robust refugee protection”. On Thursday, the agency issued a set of new recommendations, as Croatia and German preside over the EU Council during the […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. Amid an era of rising geopolitical tensions and declining trust between nations, the United Nations Secretary-General has encouraged countries to “come home” to a defining document of the international community: the UN Charter. António Guterres was addressing the Security Council which on Thursday held a debate on upholding the founding treaty of the […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The International Labour Organization (ILO) marked 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 […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The UN Security Council has stressed the need to resolve the ongoing political impasse in Haiti between President Jovenel Moïse and a surging opposition movement. Members issued a statement on Thursday night outlining the immediate necessity for parties to engage in an inclusive and open dialogue to form a government that responds to the needs of […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. A Ukrainian airliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran on Wednesday morning, killing all 176 passengers and crew members on board. In a statement, UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ offered his deepest condolences, saying he was “deeply saddened by the crash”. “He expresses his deepest […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The top UN official in West Africa and the Sahel updated the Security Council on Wednesday, describing an “unprecedented” rise in terrorist violence across the region. “The region has experienced a devastating surge in terrorist attacks against civilian and military targets,” Mohamed Ibn Chambas, UN Special […]