Since mid-November, overlapping tropical storms and intensified monsoon systems have triggered catastrophic flooding and landslides across Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Viet Nam. UN teams across the region are supporting government-led emergency operations with food, health, water and sanitation aid, medical deployments and early recovery assessments, as heavy rains continue and fears grow that […]
The World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) first State of the Climate in the Arab Region report paints a stark picture of a region under constant pressure from rising temperatures and increasingly extreme weather. The UN agency noted that “a number of countries [in the Arab region] reported temperatures of above 50°C (122°F) last year, while average […]
As communities struggle to rebuild, many have little time to grieve the immense losses they have suffered. Since June, over six million people in Pakistan have been affected by what have been described as “unusually heavy monsoon rains” which have claimed nearly 1,000 lives, including about 250 children. Residents are still recovering from flash […]
Three women in Jamaica whose lives were upended by the destructive force of a hurricane which battered the Caribbean island are looking to rebuild their future. Right before Hurricane Melissa swept across Jamaica in late October 2025, Rose* took her two children to a friend’s sturdy concrete home to keep them safe. When they returned […]
“The Global Environment Outlook lays out a simple choice for humanity: continue down the road to a future devastated by climate change, dwindling nature, degraded land and polluted air, or change direction to secure a healthy planet, healthy people and healthy economies,” said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen. The report has input from 287 multi-disciplinary […]
As the world moves to slow climate change and create a more sustainable future, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) named five new climate visionaries on Wednesday as its 2025 Champions of the Earth — the UN’s highest environmental honour. These five extraordinary leaders, who work on issues ranging from climate justice to sustainable cooling and forest […]
The assembly is the world’s highest-level decision-making body for matters related to the environment. More than 6,000 people – representing 186 countries – took part in the week-long gathering which was held at the headquarters of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Wide-ranging resolutions The UNEA-7 resolutions cover issues such as the sound management of minerals and materials essential to the shift to clean […]
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk echoed this message in Geneva earlier this year and posed a question before the Human Rights Council: “Are we taking the steps needed to protect people from climate chaos, safeguard their futures and manage natural resources in ways that respect human rights and the environment?” His answer […]
Current estimates place the total damage and loss between $8 billion and $15 billion – nearly a quarter of Jamaica’s gross domestic product (GDP), said Dennis Zulu, UN Resident Coordinator for Jamaica, the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, and Turks and Caicos. The hurricane affected more than 626,000 people and claimed 45 lives, underscoring its […]
Hostilities have been intensifying between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and two armed groups – the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia that has been battling the military government for control since April 2023 and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North. Over the weekend, drone attacks targeted a UN base killing six peacekeepers from the UNIFSA mission, while […]