Tariff-driven price pressures are adding to inflation risks, leaving trade-dependent economies particularly vulnerable. Higher tariffs and shifting trade policies are threatening to disrupt global supply chains, raise production costs, and delay key investment decisions – all of this weakening the prospects for global growth. General slowdown The economic slowdown is widespread, affecting both developed and […]
Annalena Baerbock presented her priorities during an informal dialogue with Member States held on Thursday at Headquarters in New York. If chosen, she will only be the fifth woman to lead the UN’s main policy-making organ and most representative body, comprising all 193 Member States who elect a new president annually, rotating among regional groups. […]
Even more impressively, the number of Egyptian women with an account increased by 260 per cent, though gender gaps do remain. But how you widen financial inclusion overall is a question the Arab region is currently grappling with. A new report from the UN Economic and Social Commission in Western Asia (UNESCWA) published on Thursday […]
Clashes broke out earlier in the week across several districts of the Libyan capital, reportedly triggered by the killing of a prominent militia leader. The fighting, which involved heavy weaponry in densely populated areas, forced hundreds of families to flee and placed severe strain on local hospitals. UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged all parties to […]
“Behind every data point is a person – a child who didn’t reach their fifth birthday, a mother lost in childbirth, a life cut short by a preventable disease,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, as the organization’s latest statistics report revealed the pandemic’s deeper health impacts. Warning that overall progress is under threat today, […]
Every day, tens of thousands of massive ships criss-cross the world’s oceans, transporting grain, clothing, electronics, cars, and countless other products. Nearly 90 per cent of global cargo is moved this way. But this vital industry comes with an added cost: international shipping is responsible for three per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, which […]
Comparing data from 2018 and 2022, UNICEF found that the pandemic worsened existing trends: children are underperforming in school, more likely to be overweight or obese, and generally less satisfied with their lives. This data sets a “worrying benchmark for children’s wellbeing,” said Bo Viktur Nylund, Director of UNICEF’s research office, Innocenti. UNICEF ranked the […]
“There is no place for lethal autonomous weapon systems in our world,” Mr. Guterres said on Monday, during an informal UN meeting in New York focused on the use and impact of such weapons. “Machines that have the power and discretion to take human lives without human control should be prohibited by international law.” The […]
Many women came to the clinic who had walked multiple hours to receive maternal care – some of them with their newborns and some heavily pregnant. And then there were the health workers themselves, committed to serving those in need in hard-to-reach areas of the impoverished Taliban-controlled nation. ‘Off the radar’ These were some of […]
OCHA reported that hostilities intensified overnight, with an attack by Israeli forces on the European Gaza Hospital in Khan Younis which killed and injured several people. A team from the World Health Organization (WHO) was also inside the hospital at the time. The hospital premises were hit again on Wednesday morning, reportedly leading to additional […]
UN Secretary-General António Guterres meanwhile warned that peace operations are under growing strain and must adapt to meet today’s rising threats. The two-day conference on peacekeeping, hosted by the Government of Germany, brought together over 1,000 participants – including defence and foreign ministers – to reaffirm commitment to the UN’s flagship tool for maintaining peace […]
Ambassadors were briefed by the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, who commended Oman for its efforts to achieve the agreement which came into effect on 6 May. He said the cessation of hostilities represented an important and necessary de-escalation in the Red Sea following the resumption of deadly US airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas […]
The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, reported on Wednesday that most of the new arrivals are women and children. Many have come from Zamzam camp and the city of El Fasher, locations targeted by paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, who’ve been fighting forces of the military government for more than two years. In Chad, the high numbers […]
Mr. Fletcher began his remarks by asking the international community to reflect on what it will tell future generations about action taken “to stop the 21st century atrocity to which we bear daily witness in Gaza.” He wondered, for example, if “we will use those empty words: ‘We did all we could,’” and urged the […]
His Office, OHCHR, has received information that over 100 Venezuelan deportees are being detained at a notorious prison in El Salvador. OHCHR said 142,000 people were deported from the US between 20 January and 29 April, according to official data. Harsh treatment in detention In particular, the fate and whereabouts of at least 245 Venezuelans […]
“These figures are a clear warning: without bold and coordinated action, the number of people displaced within their own countries will continue to grow rapidly,” said Amy Pope, Director General of International Organization for Migration. The recent rise in conflicts worldwide – particularly in Sudan, the Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, Ukraine and Palestine has pushed […]
Across 73 countries, 308 million people now rely on humanitarian aid – a number that continues to rise. Women and girls are disproportionately affected by these crises, facing preventable pregnancy-related deaths, malnutrition, and alarming levels of sexual violence. Despite the growing need, the humanitarian system is facing severe funding shortfalls, threatening life-saving services for women […]
Addressing the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial 2025 in the German capital, the Secretary-General told dozens of ministers from more than 130 countries that peacekeepers remain key to “help countries move from conflict to peace.” “In trouble spots around the world, blue helmets can mean the difference between life and death,” he insisted. “They are also a clear demonstration […]
The Security Council is set to meet this afternoon at 3 PM in New York to discuss the deepening crisis in Gaza, where humanitarians warn of “a critical risk of famine” and aid shipments have been blocked for over 70 days. UN relief chief Tom Fletcher is expected to brief ambassadors. Follow live for key […]
Since the aid blockade began on 2 March, 57 children have reportedly died from the effects of malnutrition, according to the Ministry of Health. If the situation persists, nearly 71,000 children under the age of five are expected to be acutely malnourished over the next 11 months. Briefing journalists in Geneva, WHO’s representative in the […]