LATEST NEWS
UN Photo/Manuel Elias
Madagascar: UN Secretary-General reaffirms support for electoral process
9 September 2018
Peace and Security
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has welcomed the appointment on 7 September of Rivo Rakotovao, President of the Madagascar Senate, as acting president of the country.
UN Photo/Mark Garten
Horn of Africa: UN chief welcomes Djibouti agreement between Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia
8 September 2018
Peace and Security
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed Thursday's meeting in Djibouti with the foreign ministers of Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia with the Djiboutian head of diplomacy.
UNICEF/Alessio Romenzi
Human traffickers in Libya are posing as UN staff, says Refugee Agency
8 September 2018
Peace and Security
The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, has called on Libyan authorities to take action against criminals targeting desperate refugees and migrants, amid reports that smugglers and traffickers in the country are impersonating Agency staff.
UN Photo/Manuel Elias
Yemen consultations have started, insists top UN negotiator
8 September 2018
Peace and Security
A positive environment exists for building trust between the opposing parties involved in discussions for a political solution to the Yemen conflict, despite the absence of one of the delegations in Geneva and insecurity on the ground, UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths said on Saturday.
FAO/Luis Tato
Backed by UN agency, countries set to take on deadly livestock-killing disease
7 September 2018
Health
Gathered at a major United Nations agricultural conference, over 45 countries today pledged to eradicate by 2030 a highly contagious and devastating disease responsible for the death of millions of small farm animals, at cost of more than $2 billion each year.
Photo: UPU
144 years on, Universal Postal Union meets to define its 21st Century role
7 September 2018
UN Affairs
The Universal Postal Union (UPU), one of the world’s oldest international organizations, has met in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to improve its working practices and define its role in the modern world.
MINUSCA Photo
UN police investigating killing of displaced people in Central African Republic
7 September 2018
Peace and Security
Perpetrators behind the killing of a number of people displaced by conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR) must be brought to justice, the UN peacekeeping operation in the country said on Friday.
Audio - 3'33" Playlist
UN Photo/Loey Felipe
Halt ‘imminent’ executions of Kurdish prisoners, UN experts urge Iran
7 September 2018
Human Rights
Two independent United Nations human rights experts have called on the Iranian Government to halt the execution of three prisoners from the Kurdish community, amid concerns that they did not receive a fair trial and allegations that they were tortured while in detention.
UNICEF/UNI150195/Diffidenti
‘Sanctity of human civilian life’ in Idlib must win out, urges UN Syria Envoy
7 September 2018
Peace and Security
With the ingredients for a “perfect storm” brewing in the Syrian province of Idlib, the international community cannot allow civilians there to succumb to such a fate, the UN Envoy for the country told the Security Council on Friday.
UNMISS/Isaac Billy
‘Children’s crisis’ in South Sudan must be addressed, says top UN official calling for real accountability
7 September 2018
Human Rights
Virginia Gamba, the United Nations Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, on Friday called for much greater accountability and effort, to prevent grave violations against children across the world’s youngest nation, South Sudan.
UNICEF
WFP and UNICEF prepare for the worst in Syria’s Idlib, as insecurity mars start of another school year
7 September 2018
Peace and Security
Emergency food supplies for hundreds of thousands of people in Syria’s Idlib are “ready for distribution” in the event of mass displacement caused by a full-scale military offensive on the last opposition-held region, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
Security Council must work towards ‘common approach’ as investigations continue into alleged Syria chemical attack
6 September 2018
Peace and Security
Experts continue to gather information related to an alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria, earlier this year, the UN’s nuclear disarmament chief told the Security Council on Thursday.
UN Photo/Loey Felipe
Russian operatives carried out Salisbury chemical attack alleges UK; accusations part of ‘post-truth world’ asserts Moscow
6 September 2018
Peace and Security
The United Kingdom and Russia traded a volley of words at the United Nations Security Council on Thursday, with the former laying out information which, it alleges, clearly places two Russian military intelligence operatives behind the deadly nerve-agent attack in the English city of Salisbury on 4 March.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
Haiti’s security situation remains ‘fragile’: UN representative
6 September 2018
Peace and Security
Haitian authorities must do more to prepare the Caribbean island nation for the planned withdrawal of the country’s UN peacekeeping mission, Bintou Keita, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, told the Security Council on Thursday.
UN Photo/Manuel Elias
INTERVIEW: With ‘many good things’ accomplished, it’s still ‘a work in progress’, says UN Assembly President reflecting on his year in office
6 September 2018
Peace and Security
Last May, the United Nations General Assembly elected Miroslav Lajčák, the Foreign Minister of Slovakia, President of its 72nd annual session, and he formally took up the job on 12 September.
UNDP/Michael Atwood
Caribbean hurricane season ‘will be different this time’
6 September 2018
Climate Change
In September 2017 two category five hurricanes swept across the Caribbean, devastating island communities in the region. In the 2nd part of this special report marking the one year anniversary of hurricanes Irma and Maria hitting the Caribbean, UN News looks at how the UN has responded, helping communities to get back on their feet, and preparing them for the inevitability of more damaging hurricanes in the future.
Inter-Korean Summit Press Corps
UN chief ‘looks forward’ to progress on denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula
6 September 2018
Peace and Security
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un’s commitment on Wednesday, to continue working towards the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
UN Geneva/Violaine Martin
UN Envoy working to ‘overcome obstacles’ barring resumption of Yemen peace talks
6 September 2018
Peace and Security
The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen met Government representatives on Thursday at the start of what were due to be the first peace talks involving both warring parties to be held in two years, vowing to “overcome obstacles” which have so far prevented the Houthi rebel delegation from showing up.
UNICEF/Adriana Zehbrauskas
Violence at school an ‘unforgettable lesson’ faced by more than half the world’s children: UNICEF
6 September 2018
Culture and Education
Around 150 million school children aged 13-15 are the victims of violence from their peers, says a new report from the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF.
UN Photo/Eric Kanalstein
Verdict against South Sudan soldiers ‘finally delivers justice’ – UN Mission
6 September 2018
Human Rights
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has applauded the verdict by a military court on Thursday, that found ten government soldiers guilty of murder, rape and other crimes against civilians and journalists at a hotel in the capital Juba, just over two years ago.
UN Photo/Shigeo Hayashi
‘Legally binding’ nuclear-test ban essential to prevent ‘catastrophic impact’ says UN chief
6 September 2018
Peace and Security
On the annual observance of the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, Secretary-General António Guterres has highlighted the “inextricable connection” between testing and eliminating nuclear weapons across the world.
ILO
UN hails ‘ground-breaking’ Supreme Court ruling to decriminalize gay sex in India
6 September 2018
Human Rights
A landmark ruling in India that decriminalizes gay sex has been welcomed as a “ground-breaking decision” by the UN agency leading the fight against HIV/AIDS.
UNAMA/Fardin Waezi
UN condemns deadly twin bombings in Kabul, killing first-responders, sportsmen, journalists
6 September 2018
Peace and Security
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) condemned an attack on a Kabul sports centre on Wednesday, which killed at least 22 people, including first-responders, sportsmen, and two journalists who were covering the initial bombing for a local news agency. Around 75 others were wounded.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
Runaway climate change still 'a real possibility': UN Secretary-General
5 September 2018
Climate Change
Greater ambition, urgency and action are needed if we are to prevent ever greater climate-related crises, said UN Chief Antonió Guterres on Wednesday, at the launch of the 2018 New Climate Economyreport, at UN Headquarters in New York
Libya has ‘lurched from one emergency to another,’ high-level UN official tells Security Council
5 September 2018
Peace and Security
The status quo in Libya is “untenable,” Ghassan Salamé, Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) told the Security Council on Wednesday.
UN Photo/Evan Schneider
Peace must be built ‘block after block’ UN General Assembly President tells key forum
5 September 2018
Peace and Security
Under the theme of charting “A Credible Pathway to Sustaining Peace,” Miroslav Lajčák, President of the 72nd General Assembly, convened this year’s one-day High-level Forum for Member States and others on Wednesday, to further promote a global culture of peace.
UN Photo/Marie Frechon
Albinism: UN official welcomes latest developments in ‘landmark’ Malawi murder case
5 September 2018
Law and Crime Prevention
The top United Nations representative in Malawi is urging the Government to promptly prosecute those allegedly responsible for the death of a young man with albinism whose butchered body was found earlier this year.
UN News/Shymaa El-Ansary
UN media seminar on peace in the Middle East, highlights ‘power of words over weapons’
5 September 2018
Peace and Security
Engaging in debate over how best to advance peace in the Middle East and resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is “a welcome reminder of the power of words over weapons,” said United Nations chief António Guterres on Wednesday.
UN OCHA/Giles Clarke
Major UN push for peace to end Yemen’s ‘hot war’ begins in Geneva
5 September 2018
Peace and Security
Efforts are under way to bring a “flickering signal of hope” to war-weary civilians in Yemen with UN-organised consultations between the Government and the Houthi opposition in Geneva set to begin, the UN’s Special Envoy Martin Griffiths, said on Wednesday.
Artículo 66
Security Council takes up Nicaragua crisis, with some reservations
5 September 2018
Peace and Security
Political turmoil in Nicaragua could pose a threat to the security of countries across Central America, the UN Security Council heard on Wednesday.
UNDP/Zaimis Olmos
In the eye of the Caribbean storm: one year on from Irma and Maria
5 September 2018
Climate Change
“It was angry. That's what it sounded like to me. When the roof came off, there were these horrible screeches, this horrible noise. It was devastating, and we all had to run”.
UN/Jean-Marc Ferré
Burundi: ‘They’re hiding the bodies’ after summary executions, say UN investigators
5 September 2018
Human Rights
Serious rights violations are continuing in Burundi, including summary executions and hate speech at the highest level of government, UN-appointed investigators said on Wednesday.
Audio - 5'35" Playlist
CICIG
Guatemala bars UN anti-corruption investigator from re-entering country
5 September 2018
Human Rights
Guatemalan authorities informed United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday that they have barred Commissioner Ivan Velasquez, of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), from re-entering the country.
UN Photo/Mark Garten
UN Chief commends Mauritania for peaceful election process
5 September 2018
Peace and Security
UN Secretary-General António Guterreshas welcomed the “peaceful conduct” of the Mauritanian elections that took place on 1 September.
UNDP/Kairatbek Murzakimov
Inactivity puts physical and mental health of more than 1.4 billion adults at risk, says WHO
5 September 2018
Health
Insufficient physical activity is a leading risk factor for non-communicable disease, negatively impacting mental health and overall quality of life, according to a newly released United Nations health agency study.
Audio - 5'23" Playlist
OCHA/Ivo Brandau
Africa’s Lake Chad Basin: Over $2.1 billion pledged, to provide comprehensive crisis response
4 September 2018
Humanitarian Aid
A United Nations-backed humanitarian conference to raise much needed resources for relief, development and peacebuilding programmes in Africa’s Lake Chad Basin concluded on Tuesday, raising some $2.17 billion in support and about $467 million in concessional loans for the crisis-ridden region.
Italian Coastguard/Massimo Sestini
Major increase in Europe’s refugee and migrant death rate: UNHCR
4 September 2018
Migrants and Refugees
The number of refugees and migrants reaching the European continent is going down, but the rate of fatalities has gone up dramatically, according to a new reportfrom the UN refugee agency, UNHCR
WFP/Hussam Al Saleh
It’s time to apply maximum ‘moral pressure’ to save lives in Syria’s Idlib: UN negotiator
4 September 2018
Peace and Security
All countries with influence over the grinding conflict in Syria should use all the “moral pressure” they can to avoid a full-scale military attack on Idlib, particularly Russia and Turkey, the United Nations top negotiator Staffan de Mistura said on Tuesday.
UNMISS\Nektarios Markogiannis
New home for scores of South Sudan's displaced
4 September 2018
Peace and Security
Nearly 3,500 people displaced by violence in South Sudan have been relocated from a UN-run camp in the capital, Juba, to temporary housing, the organization’s mission in the country, UNMISS, reported on Tuesday.
WHO/Marcelo Moreno
Tobacco control, a ‘major component’ of environmental protection efforts – UN health official
4 September 2018
Health
From deforestation to soil degradation and pollution, tobacco production and its use by consumers, is “tremendously destructive” for the environment, although control measures can help curb its negative environmental effects, including the damaging impact of climate change, the head of the UN tobacco control treaty watchdog – formally known as the Secretariat of the WHO FCTC - has told UN News.
UNHCR/Tarik Argaz
Ceasefire agreement reached in Libyan capital, announces UN mission
4 September 2018
Peace and Security
An agreement on a ceasefire in Tripoli has been reached under the auspices of Ghassan Salame, the top United Nations official in Libya, the Organization’s Support Mission in the country, UNSMIL, has announced.
Simone D. McCourtie / World Bank
With AI, jobs are changing but no mass unemployment expected – UN labour experts
4 September 2018
Economic Development
The rise of frontier technologies like Artificial Intelligence has caused fears of robots taking over blue-collar jobs, but a United Nations expert says humans still have the upper hand given their creativity and ability to form relationships.
IOM Iraq/Sarah Ali Abed
Iraq milestone: Some four million people return home, displacement drops to four-year low
4 September 2018
Peace and Security
For the first time in nearly four years, the number of displaced Iraqis has fallen below two million, according to a new report released on Tuesday by the United Nations migration agency.
Guy Oliver/IRIN
UNHCR calls for action against xenophobic attacks in South Africa
4 September 2018
Migrants and Refugees
Authorities in South Africa are being urged by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, to act in the wake of recent violence against foreigners in the country, some of which has been deadly.
IOM/Jessica Mamo
Progress made but Lake Chad crisis is not over, says UN relief chief, urging greater support for region
3 September 2018
Humanitarian Aid
Despite improvements in the humanitarian situation in the Lake Chad region, millions continue to remain dependent on lifesaving assistance, the top United Nations relief official said on Monday, urging greater international support for the region to safeguard the progress achieved.
UN China/Zhao Yun
In Beijing, UN chief urges win-win collaboration between China and Africa for ‘the future we want’
3 September 2018
SDGs
Highlighting the economic and development progress made in China and Africa, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres urged them to unite their combined potential for peaceful, sustainable and equitable progress to the benefit of all humankind.
ILO/M. Creuset
Journalists’ conviction in Myanmar a message that press ‘cannot operate fearlessly’ – UN rights chief
3 September 2018
Human Rights
Stressing that the legal process that led to the conviction of two Reuters journalists in Myanmar “clearly breached” international standards, the United Nations top human rights official called for their immediate and unconditional release.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
UN chief calls for calm as violence erupts in Libyan capital
2 September 2018
Peace and Security
Condemning the escalation of violence in and around the Libyan capital, Tripoli, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called on all parties to immediately cease hostilities and grant humanitarian relief to those in need.
UN Photo/Violaine Martin (file)
Mauritania: UN chief urges peaceful, credible elections
1 September 2018
Peace and Security
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called on all parties in Mauritania to ensure peaceful and credible elections as the country holds legislative, regional and municipal polls on Saturday.
UNRWA/Tamer Hamam
UN urges countries to step up assistance for Palestine refugees
1 September 2018
Humanitarian Aid
The United Nations said it regrets the decision of the United States to stop funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and called on other countries to help fill the remaining financial gap.PEACE VIGIL: UN Headlines September 1-30, 2018 from UN News Cen...: LATEST NEWS UN Photo/Manuel Elias Madagascar: UN Secretary-General reaffirms support for electoral process 9 September 2018 Peace and Sec...
