70 UN Ambassadors in Geneva call for international action on Gaza
November 10, 2023
The international community must act now to end the bloodshed and suffering in Gaza, scores of UN Ambassadors in Geneva said in a joint call on Friday.
UN News
Five judges elected to United Nations’ top court
November 9, 2023
The General Assembly and the Security Council on Thursday elected five judges to serve on the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.
Gaza: ‘Humanitarian pauses’ will need coordination with the UN
November 9, 2023
Any plans for short-term pauses in the fighting in Gaza must be carried out in coordination with the UN and following agreement by all sides, the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General said on Thursday during his regular press briefing from New York.
Guterres ‘horrified’ by strike on ambulance convoy in Gaza
November 4, 2023
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “horrified” by a strike on an ambulance convoy outside a hospital in the Gaza Strip on Friday, reiterating his appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire.
UN teams respond to deadly earthquake in western Nepal
November 4, 2023
United Nations teams in Nepal are responding to the devastating earthquake in the west of the country, amid reports that over 150 people have been killed and hundreds more injured.
Israel-Palestine crisis: ‘It’s the innocent civilians who are losing’
November 3, 2023
More funding is urgently needed for lifesaving aid in Gaza while concern is deepening over high numbers of civilians killed since the beginning of the crisis and human rights violations against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
World News in Brief: Protection call for refugees in Pakistan, ‘One Health’ plan launched, radio waves saving lives
November 3, 2023
UN agencies on Friday called on Pakistan to continue protecting children and families seeking safety amidst rising concerns over the Government’s new ‘Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan’.
Humanitarian ceasefires critical to meet immense needs in Gaza
November 3, 2023
Political negotiations to get aid into Gaza have yielded results but much more is needed, including humanitarian ceasefires to ensure safe delivery of food, fuel and other essentials, senior UN officials said on Friday in a briefing to Member States in...
Sudan: Women and girls abducted, held ‘in slave-like conditions’ in Darfur
November 3, 2023
The UN human rights office (OHCHR) expressed alarm on Friday over reports that in Sudan, women and girls are being abducted, chained and held in “inhuman, degrading slave-like conditions” in areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Darfur....
World’s diverse biospheres ‘making peace with the natural world’
November 3, 2023
Spanning from city to savannah, and from mountaintops to mangroves, the world’s 748 biosphere reserves are being celebrated this Friday for their diversity and contribution to a green global future.
Ukraine: UN condemns latest wave of Russian attacks
November 3, 2023
Russia has bombarded more than 100 Ukrainian towns across nearly half of its regions in the past two days according to the Ukrainian Government, many near the frontlines.
Sharp uptick in fighting in Myanmar, UN humanitarians report
November 3, 2023
Myanmar witnessed a sharp escalation in fighting between the military and opposition groups this week fuelling a surge in new displacements, the UN humanitarian wing has said.
Explainer: How AI helps combat climate change
November 3, 2023
Artificial intelligence (AI) is already making inroads worldwide in health, education and industry, but how can this cutting-edge technology help the world combat and mitigate the effects of climate change?
Climate action: ‘Take steps to close the adaptation gap, now’
November 2, 2023
Instead of accelerating to meet the challenge of rising emissions, progress on climate adaptation is slowing across the board, a new report published on Thursday by the UN’s environment agency finds.
Israel-Palestine crisis: Gaza’s north cut off from aid; death toll rising
November 2, 2023
The number of people killed in Gaza is nearing the 9,000 mark amid mounting concerns over the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes on a densely-populated refugee camp near Gaza City, while a key hospital has stopped operations and UN humanitarians are unabl...
General Assembly votes overwhelmingly against US Cuba embargo
November 2, 2023
The UN General Assembly on Thursday voted by a large margin against the United States’ economic and trade embargo against Cuba, first imposed in 1960. A total of 187 States voted for the resolution put forward each year against the embargo with only th...
Day highlighting journalists under fire focuses on protection during elections
November 2, 2023
New data from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has revealed a worrying rise in violence against journalists during election periods, and usually at the hands of law enforcement agents.
World News in Brief: Russia pulls out of nuclear test ban treaty, climate ‘health crisis’, pushback against bullying
November 2, 2023
Russia on Thursday announced it was revoking its ratification of the UN-backed Comprehensive Nuclear Test Bank Treaty (CTBT), after the Russian Duma passed legislation last month.
Iran urged to end new rights clampdown following teenage girl’s death
November 2, 2023
Iran must end policies and practices “which amount to total impunity for acts of gender persecution against women and girls”, a group of experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council said on Thursday.
At UK’s AI Summit, Guterres says risks outweigh rewards without global oversight
November 2, 2023
The UN Secretary-General on Thursday stressed that global oversight of emerging artificial intelligence (AI) technology should be based on the UN Charter’s core principles and ensure full respect for human rights.
Israel-Palestine crisis: First evacuations from Gaza; outrage grows over refugee camp strikes
November 1, 2023
UN health agency chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed Egypt’s decision on Wednesday to accept dozens of the most critically sick and injured from the stricken Gaza Strip for treatment. Meanwhile, the UN relief chief has said a "step change" is nee...
Rise in intimidation, settler violence in the West Bank, warns OCHA
November 1, 2023
More than 820 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have been displaced amid settler violence and increased movement restrictions since the Hamas terror attacks of 7 October and the start of Israel’s assault on Gaza, the UN relief wing said on Wednesd...
World News in Brief: Mali mission latest, starvation alert for ‘hotspots’, inclusive sport for all
November 1, 2023
Several blue helmets were “seriously injured” during the departure of the last contingent of peacekeepers from the restive Kidal region of Mali, the UN Spokesperson said on Wednesday.
World News in Brief: Russia likely attacked Ukraine cafe, disease alert for Sudan, Taliban must release rights defenders
October 31, 2023
A missile which struck a café in the village of Hroza in eastern Ukraine killing 59 people earlier this month was launched with no indication of any legitimate military targets at the site, according to a new report by the UN human rights office (OHCHR).
Guterres blasts ‘completely inadequate’ levels of aid for Gaza civilians
October 31, 2023
The UN chief on Tuesday said levels of aid allowed into the stricken Gaza Strip are “completely inadequate” to meet the rising needs of civilians trapped there amidst the intensifying fighting.
UN calls for global action to turn cities into engines of sustainable development
October 31, 2023
Marking World Cities Day on Tuesday, the UN Secretary-General emphasised the vital role cities play in sustainable development as catalysts for economic growth and innovation.
On sacred ground in Nepal, UN chief calls for global action for peace
October 31, 2023
Standing in the sacred grounds of Lumbini, UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday delivered a heartfelt message, urging the world to take inspiration from the teachings of Lord Buddha and make a commitment to peace and compassion, as crises m...
Amazon, DoorDash, Walmart, trapping workers in poverty: UN rights expert
October 31, 2023
A UN poverty expert called on the CEOs of Amazon, DoorDash and Walmart on Tuesday to address allegations that wages at the US-based corporations are trapping workers in poverty, forcing them to rely on US Government benefits to survive.
Bangladesh, Maldives, DPR Korea make ‘tremendous’ strides toward disease elimination
October 31, 2023
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday hailed the elimination of several life-threatening diseases in developing nations as a major breakthrough for public health.
Toll of Israel-Palestine crisis on children ‘beyond devastating’
October 31, 2023
Gaza has become a “graveyard” for children with thousands now killed under Israeli bombardment, while more than a million face dire shortages of essentials and a lifetime of trauma ahead, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
Amid Middle East crisis, ‘brutal and far-reaching’ war continues in Ukraine
October 31, 2023
As the world’s attention focuses on the unfolding emergency in the Gaza Strip, a senior UN aid official on Tuesday urged the Security Council not to overlook the equally “brutal and far-reaching” crisis in Ukraine.
Upcoming COP28 summit must ‘respond decisively’ to gaps in global climate action
October 30, 2023
Next month’s UN climate summit in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) must respond decisively to the gaps in the intranational community’s response climate crisis, Deputy-Secretary-General Amina Mohamed said on Monday.
Gaza hospitals hanging on by a thread: UN humanitarians
October 30, 2023
UPDATED: With the Israel-Palestine crisis in its fourth week, UN aid teams on Monday highlighted the mounting pressure on north Gaza hospitals where patients and health workers remain, amid reports of expanded Israeli ground operations.
Tackling climate mis/disinformation: ‘An urgent frontier for action’
October 30, 2023
Climate impacts are accelerating with every fraction of a degree of global warming, yet denial, distortion and falsehoods about well-established scientific facts are flooding the internet and media landscape, according to the participants of a panel di...
‘Stop the madness’ of climate change, UN chief declares
October 30, 2023
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday called on the world to “stop the madness” of climate change as he visited the Everest region in Nepal where melting glaciers are putting entire communities at risk of extinction.
World News in Brief: ICC slams ‘unacceptable threats’, DR Congo displacement, UNEP ‘Champions of the Earth’
October 30, 2023
The President of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday hit back at Russia’s recent decision to issue arrest warrants against senior judges, describing the move as the most notable example of “unacceptable threats and attacks” on the internat...
UPDATING LIVE: UN Security Council meeting again on Gaza crisis
October 30, 2023
Following four failed efforts to reach consensus on a Gaza resolution, the UN Security Council met in emergency session again on Monday afternoon (New York time) to discuss the ongoing crisis, amid continuing Israeli bombardment and reported ground inc...
Immediate de-escalation ‘only antidote’ to conflict in Syria
October 30, 2023
The UN Special Envoy for Syria on Monday warned that civilians there are facing the “terrifying” prospect of a potential wider escalation given the uptick in violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.