UN News
World News in Brief: Bangladesh student protests, South Sudan attacks continue, opportunity knocks for climate action in Africa
July 17, 2024
As violent protests continued at university campuses in Bangladesh on Wednesday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights urged authorities to engage with students demanding an end to the quota system for government jobs amid rising unemployment.
Guterres commends Turkmenistan’s ‘policy of neutrality’ amid troubled times
July 6, 2024
Cooperation between the United Nations and Turkmenistan, and regional developments in Central Asia, were the focus of a meeting between UN Secretary-General António Guterres and President Serdar Berdimuhamedov held in the capital, Ashgabat, on Saturday.
Time running short as 2030 deadline looms for UN blueprint for a fairer future
July 5, 2024
How can we get closer to achieving UN Member States’ detailed plans to make the world a better place within the next six years? A two-week event starting on 8 July at UN Headquarters will attempt to answer that crucial question.
Refugees, migrants face violence, abuse and death on routes across Africa, new data shows
July 5, 2024
Refugees and migrants continue to face extreme forms of violence, exploitation and death on sea and on land across Africa as they move through the continent, UN agencies said on Friday, in an appeal to border authorities to do more to protect them.
Eleven new biosphere reserves added to global list
July 5, 2024
The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Friday designated 11 new biosphere reserves, recognizing their importance for conserving biodiversity and cultural heritage.
UN official describes total devastation in Carriacou following Hurricane Beryl
July 5, 2024
The island of Carriacou in Grenada has been virtually “flattened” by the devastating Hurricane Beryl, a senior UN official there reported on Friday, as humanitarian teams ramp up their support to communities affected across the Caribbean.
Tens of thousands displaced as fighting intensifies in southeast Sudan
July 5, 2024
Fresh fighting in southeast Sudan is exacerbating civilian suffering, with reports that over 136,000 people have fled their homes in search of safety, UN humanitarians have said.
UN warns of escalating tensions on Lebanon-Israel ‘Blue Line’ frontier
July 5, 2024
The UN voiced deep concern on Friday at the increase in the intensity of exchanges of fire across the Blue Line, which separates Lebanese and Israeli armed forces.
Gaza war grinds on as forcibly displaced run out of space to shelter
July 4, 2024
Bombing continued overnight into Thursday in Gaza where some of the tens of thousands of people uprooted in response to Israeli evacuation orders have had to turn back after finding nowhere to shelter, UN humanitarians reported.
UN chief to leaders of regional bloc: end wars, deal with existential crises
July 4, 2024
Deep global divisions and conflicts must end to clear a path to tackling world’s two existential threats: climate change and the negative impacts of the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, UN chief António Guterres told the Shanghai Cooperation Organiza...
UN mobilizes $4 million for Hurricane Beryl response in the Caribbean
July 4, 2024
The UN Secretary-General has reiterated his solidarity with countries affected by Hurricane Beryl, releasing $4 million from the Organization’s emergency response fund to kickstart relief efforts.
Belarus is not safe for anyone critical of authorities, warns rights expert
July 3, 2024
Citizens and civil society critical of the Belarussian authorities face worsening repression, arbitrary detention, ill-treatment and harassment, nearly four years since widespread public protests took place surrounding the re-election of President Alex...
Ukraine: UN report reveals ‘horrific toll’ of Russian attacks
July 3, 2024
A new report from UN human rights monitors in Ukraine has revealed the “horrific toll” of attacks by Russian armed forces, with May recording the highest number of civilian casualties in nearly a year.
Gaza ‘split in two’ as civilians, humanitarians reset lives, aid efforts
July 3, 2024
The Gaza Strip is virtually “split in two”, with blockades not only restricting the movement of displaced people seeking shelter, but also aid workers trying to assist civilians in desperate need, a UN relief official said on Wednesday.
China-based inventors lead on global GenAI patents: UN report
July 3, 2024
China-based inventors are filing the highest number of generative artificial intelligence patents, a new report from the UN World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) shows.
UN rights chief urges free and open space for debate in Venezuela
July 3, 2024
The UN’s top human rights official on Wednesday underscored the need for free and open debate in Venezuela as the country prepares to hold Presidential elections later this month, and local, regional and legislative polls next year.
Haiti: UN envoy welcomes democratic progress amidst alarming violence
July 3, 2024
The UN envoy for Haiti on Wednesday welcomed recent strides towards restoring democracy amid alarming levels of violence, while the country’s interim Prime Minister emphasized that the people “continue to fight for a better future.”
Tens of thousands displaced in fresh violence in DR Congo
July 2, 2024
Millions of displaced people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are suffering amid one of the world’s most neglected crises, the UN International Organization of Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday.
Gaza: 250,000 set to be displaced by new Khan Younis escalation
July 2, 2024
“Chaos and panic” are spreading in southern Gaza where an estimated 250,000 people are set to be impacted by new Israeli military evacuation orders from Khan Younis in Gaza, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.
Gaza is a ‘maelstrom of human misery’
July 2, 2024
With their homes shattered and lives upended by war, civilians in Gaza are clinging to their dignity under the most inhumane conditions, Sigrid Kaag, the UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator, said on Tuesday.
Sudan’s cocktail of war and flooding leaves people trapped, unable to flee
July 2, 2024
Millions of people have been forced out of Sudan as the brutal civil war continues to spread, including in Sinja Town, south of the capital Khartoum, where UN humanitarians reported on Tuesday that more than 55,000 people have already fled.
New WHO guidelines to help millions quit tobacco
July 2, 2024
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday released the first-ever guidelines for those seeking to quit tobacco use, recommending a range of initiatives, treatments and digital interventions.
UN urges international solidarity as Hurricane Beryl devastates Caribbean islands
July 2, 2024
The United Nations has called for international solidarity with Grenada, the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and other Caribbean islands hit hard by Hurricane Beryl.
World News in Brief: Doha talks on Afghanistan, human rights in Belarus, Rohingya refugees in India, global trade rises
July 2, 2024
The UN’s top political affairs official on Tuesday reiterated that human rights, especially the rights of Afghan women and girls, and inclusion of all members of the society will continue to be an integral part of all discussions.
Tens of thousands displaced in new Gaza City escalation
July 1, 2024
Ongoing heavy fighting in northern Gaza has now forced an estimated 84,000 people to flee eastern Gaza City in a matter of days, while also cutting off access to a key aid distribution hub, UN humanitarians said on Monday.
Sudan: UN food convoy attacked, supplies looted amid worsening crisis
July 1, 2024
Unidentified armed men in Sudan on Sunday attacked UN World Food Programme (WFP) trucks carrying food assistance meant for thousands of civilians in need in central Darfur, the agency reported.
UN pushes for inclusive future in Afghanistan at Doha talks
July 1, 2024
UN-led efforts to nudge Afghanistan towards a more peaceful and inclusive future with a more equal role for women and girls continued Monday at international talks, which for the first time included the Taliban de facto authorities.
Buckle up, make a safety statement: UN launches global campaign to enhance road safety
July 1, 2024
The United Nations on Monday launched a new global road safety campaign to improve traffic safety and create inclusive, safe and sustainable streets.
World News in Brief: UN responds to Bangladesh floods, sports and human rights, polio vaccination in Angola
July 1, 2024
The UN emergency food relief agency is providing vital assistance to communities affected by the severe flooding in northeast Bangladesh, the agency said on Monday.
Haiti: Violence displaces one child every minute, reports UNICEF
July 1, 2024
Continued violence and instability in Haiti has resulted in the displacement of over 300,000 children, with an estimated one child being displaced every minute since March, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.
‘Trust and respect’ feeds interfaith rice growing success in the Philippines
June 30, 2024
Trust built on decades of respect for religion has fertilized the seeds of success for two communities, one Muslim the other Christian, which have joined together to build a successful rice growing cooperative in the Philippines.
Haiti: Longing to live again, amid trauma of displacement
June 29, 2024
Two women from the troubled Carrefour-Feuilles neighborhood in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince have shared their traumatic experiences of rape, contracting HIV, and despairing thoughts of suicide, after multiple forced displacements amid widespread gang...
Going back into ‘hell’: An aid worker’s journey through shattered Gaza
June 28, 2024
Over and above the difficulty of actually getting into Gaza, aid teams now face the crushing realization that with a shortage of fuel and dwindling supplies, there is a limit to what they can do to help all those in need, UN aid worker Louise Wateridge...
Top UN official calls for strict compliance with sanctions on DPR Korea
June 28, 2024
Any relationship that any country has with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), including Russia, “must entirely abide” by Security Council sanctions, Izumi Nakamitsu, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs said on Friday, as she b...
World getting a ‘failing grade’ on Global Goals report card
June 28, 2024
With just six years remaining to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global progress is alarmingly insufficient, with a mere 17 per cent of the targets currently on track, according to a new UN report released on Friday.
UN rights chief calls time on ‘economic violence’ against women and girls
June 28, 2024
On Friday, at the UN Human Rights Council's (OHCHR) first panel for the annual full-day discussion on women's rights, The UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Friday told a Human Rights Council panel that it’s time to eliminate laws and practices that ...
Haitian capital’s crippled health system ‘on the brink’
June 28, 2024
The health system in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince is “on the brink” and “crippled by escalating violence” according to the UN Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO) representative in the Caribbean island nation, Dr. Oscar Barreneche.