Since September 2023, more than 2.43 million undocumented Afghan migrants have returned from Iran and Pakistan. Women and girls account for about half of the returnees from Pakistan, while their share among those returning from Iran has been steadily rising, reaching around 30 per cent in June. The escalating pace of returns is straining Afghanistan’s […]
Escalating conflict in Ukraine In an oral update, Ilze Brands Kehris, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, reported a sharp escalation in hostilities in Ukraine. Civilian casualties have surged, with April to June seeing nearly 50 per cent more deaths and injuries compared to the same period in 2024. “More than 90 per cent of […]
However, this creates challenges by limiting land access for the next generation and diminishing their voice in agricultural policymaking. Without land assets, young people struggle to secure the resources needed to become agricultural producers themselves. Between 2005 and 2021, the number of youth employed in agrifood jobs declined by 10 per cent, prompting concerns for […]
Multiple attacks in recent days have killed and injured scores of Palestinians at sites hosting displaced people and others attempting to access essential supplies, according to a statement from UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric on Thursday. “The Secretary-General strongly condemns the loss of civilian life,” Mr. Dujarric said. On just one day this week, nearly 30,000 […]
“The human consequences of rising debt burdens, escalating trade tensions and steep cuts to official development assistance have been brought into sharp relief this week,” she told the closing session of the pivotal gathering, amid sizzling temperatures across southern Spain. Multilateralism at work But against that backdrop, the conference has delivered a strong response – […]
On 30 June, both Chile and Argentina ranked among the coldest places on Earth, outside the polar regions. Governments in both countries issued early warnings and cold-weather alerts in response to the “polar-origin anticyclone” behind the extreme conditions, WMO said. The cold snap in South America contrasts blistering heat in the northern hemisphere, especially in […]
Activists, many from the Global South, attending the talks in Spain, are calling for greater leadership and commitment from wealthier nations to help address long-standing structural inequalities. The 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) carries strong symbolic weight, reflected in the agreed priorities of the Sevilla Commitment. Courtesy of Paula Sevilla Paula Sevilla, […]
Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine have taken or are considering steps to withdraw from the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction – known also as the Ottawa Convention, after the Canadian city where the process was launched. “These weapons risk causing […]
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Israeli authorities issued displacement orders overnight for two neighbourhoods in Khan Younis, where up to 80,000 people had been living. The Al Satar reservoir – a critical hub for distributing piped water from Israel – has become inaccessible as a result. Grave warnings […]
Addressing delegates at a UN forum on peaceful uses of outer space, Amina Mohammed urged greater international cooperation as the world becomes increasingly reliant on satellites for everything from disaster response to climate monitoring. “Space is not the final frontier. It is the foundation of our present,” she said. “Without satellites orbiting overhead right now, […]
Since January, the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), recorded over 4,000 individuals deliberately killed – a 24 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024. “The capital city was for all intents and purposes paralysed by gangs and isolated due to the ongoing suspension of international commercial flights into the international […]
Development benefits all countries because it is linked to other areas of activity and society, including basic security itself. Without it, there is no hope – and no stability. That is the key message from the Director of the UN Development Programme’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (UNDP), Marcos Neto, to all other nations […]
The promises were made at the opening of the Financing for Development Conference (FFD4), currently underway in the Spanish city of Sevilla, when delegates agreed on the Sevilla Commitment. During the conference UN News spoke to Li Junhua, the UN Under-Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs and Secretary-General of the international summit. Li Junhua: The […]
The Borrowers’ Forum is being hailed as a milestone in efforts to reform the international debt architecture, supported by the UN and emerging as a key part of the Sevilla Agreement outcome document. “This is not just talk – this is execution,” said Egypt’s Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Dr Rania Al-Mashat. “The Borrowers’ […]
Acting on the recommendation of its Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), the Assembly endorsed the budgets for 12 missions, the logistics centres in Entebbe (Uganda) and Brindisi (Italy), and the support account for peacekeeping. The budgets were adopted without a vote, except for the resolution on the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which was […]
At Tuesday’s regular briefing at the UN Headquarters, in New York, Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric relayed warnings from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs (OCHA), citing urgent concerns across the country. “Across Sudan, we continue to be deeply concerned about the humanitarian impact of the ongoing fighting, which is escalating displacement and driving […]
“The money simply is not reaching the women and girls who need it most,” UN Women said in a news release issued on Monday. This estimate comes in the midst of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development underway in Sevilla, Spain. There, world leaders are working to revitalize the international financing structure […]
“As humanitarian assistance and basic services dwindle, people in Gaza have been increasingly deprived of the means for their survival,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at the UN Headquarters in New York. It has been 17 weeks since any fuel has entered Gaza, according to Mr. Dujarric – a critical shortage that forced the […]
Originally conceived in 1963 at a meeting of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Convention entered into force in 1975, as the first global agreement of its kind. It continues to serve as a vital tool to help prevent the rapid decline of species. Why CITES matters? The urgency of CITES’ mission […]
Presented during the UN’s 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, taking place this week in Sevilla, the proposal highlights a growing problem: the richest individuals often contribute less to public finances than ordinary taxpayers, thanks to lower effective tax rates and legal loopholes. “Our countries need more and more public revenues to meet their […]