Guterres urges countries to ‘seize this historic opportunity’ as renewable energy use grows

The latest push follows the release of two reports on Tuesday which affirmed that the so-called “renewables revolution” is accelerating at unprecedented rates. For the first time ever, renewable energy has generated more power than coal, according to new analysis by Ember, a global think tank working to speed up the clean energy transition. Energy […]

IAEA Chief Urges Countries to Recommit to Nuclear Non-Proliferation

IAEA Chief Urges Countries to Recommit to Nuclear Non-Proliferation

He stressed that their support for the non-proliferation regime, the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), and the IAEA, is crucial. “I urge Member States to recommit to a system that has been one of the most important foundations for international peace, even during the tensest decades of our generation,” he said. He noted that the conference […]

World News in Brief: Pakistan floods, countries lag on climate reporting, concern over attack on peacekeepers in south Lebanon, cuts hit human rights investigations

World News in Brief: Pakistan floods, countries lag on climate reporting, concern over attack on peacekeepers in south Lebanon, cuts hit human rights investigations

In a statement released by his Spokesperson, the UN chief noted that the disaster driven by severe monsoon conditions had been exacerbated by climate change, impacting around 1.5 million people. Hundreds of thousands of people need humanitarian aid while more than 3,000 homes, over 400 schools and some 40 health facilities have suffered some level […]

Plastic pollution talks adjourn, but countries want to stay engaged: UNEP chief

Plastic pollution talks adjourn, but countries want to stay engaged: UNEP chief

“This has been a hard-fought 10 days against the backdrop of geopolitical complexities, economic challenges and multilateral strains,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). “However, one thing remains clear: despite these complexities, all countries clearly want to remain at the table.”    Speaking to media at the end of Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee […]

Awaza gears up to host UN conference on landlocked developing countries

Awaza gears up to host UN conference on landlocked developing countries

More than 20 heads of state and government and some 3,000 delegates from international organizations, civil society, youth, academia and the private sector are expected to attend the conference. UN News is on the ground in Awaza, reporting on the event as it unfolds. At the flag-raising, Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov formally welcomed participants. “Welcome […]

Salvaging SDGs still possible, but countries must act now: Guterres

Salvaging SDGs still possible, but countries must act now: Guterres

Addressing ministers at UN Headquarters in New York, he called for urgent action to rescue lagging Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) amid war, inequality and fiscal strain. “Transformation is not only necessary – it is possible,” he declared, highlighting landmark commitments adopted in recent months: the Pandemic Agreement at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, pledges […]

‘The margins of the budget’: Gender equality in developing countries underfunded by $420 billion annually

‘The margins of the budget’: Gender equality in developing countries underfunded by $420 billion annually

“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 […]

Ahead of UN summit, countries finalise landmark ‘Compromiso de Sevilla’

Ahead of UN summit, countries finalise landmark ‘Compromiso de Sevilla’

On Tuesday, Member States at UN Headquarters endorsed the finalized outcome document, known as the Compromiso de Sevilla (the Seville Commitment), following months of intensive intergovernmental negotiations. It is intended as the cornerstone of a renewed global framework for financing sustainable development, particularly amid a widening $4 trillion annual financing gap faced by developing countries. […]

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 – […]