Five countries elected to serve on UN Security Council

Five countries elected to serve on UN Security Council

They will serve through the end of 2027 on the UN body responsible for maintaining international peace and security. They will join the five non-permanent members elected last year – Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia – who will serve through 2026. The Security Council has 15 members: five permanent members – China, France, Russia, […]

Countries set to adopt ‘vital’ pandemic preparedness accord

Countries set to adopt ‘vital’ pandemic preparedness accord

The stakes are high for this year’s World Health Assembly, the UN’s premier health forum, where officials will tackle a sweeping agenda – from pandemic readiness and climate-related health risks to mental health, maternal care, and environmental justice. But with geopolitical tensions running high, international collaboration on these and other vital issues will be tested. Here […]

8 million teens in world’s wealthiest countries functionally illiterate: UNICEF

8 million teens in world’s wealthiest countries functionally illiterate: UNICEF

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 […]

Climate change takes increasingly extreme toll on African countries

Climate change takes increasingly extreme toll on African countries

“Extreme weather and climate change impacts are hitting every single aspect of socio-economic development in Africa and exacerbating hunger, insecurity and displacement,” the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Monday. WMO said that average surface temperature across Africa in 2024 was approximately 0.86°C above the 1991–2020 average. North Africa recorded the highest temperature – […]