‘The extraordinary power of ordinary people’: World leaders spotlight youth as agents of progress

‘The extraordinary power of ordinary people’: World leaders spotlight youth as agents of progress

Annalena Baerbock, President of the General Assembly and one of the youngest persons to ever hold the office, stressed that youth are “the designers of their future” but should not have to build it alone. Drawing on conversations with young leaders from Ethiopia to Afghanistan, she highlighted the challenges today’s youth face – from conflict […]

Sinking islands, vanishing forests: World leaders call for urgent climate action

Sinking islands, vanishing forests: World leaders call for urgent climate action

Their appeals, sharpened by rising seas, failed harvests and disappearing ecosystems, echoed Secretary-General António Guterres’s warning at a climate summit that the world is already in the “dawn of a new energy era” – one where clean energy must replace fossil fuels, and where finance and justice remain at the heart of the global response. […]

‘Warring world crying out for peace’ says UN chief as leaders gather in New York

‘Warring world crying out for peace’ says UN chief as leaders gather in New York

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for a renewed global push to end wars and divisions, stressing that “peace cannot wait” as the world observes the International Day of Peace. “Lives are being ripped apart, childhoods extinguished, and basic human dignity discarded, amidst the cruelty and degradations of war,” Mr. Guterres said in his message […]

Guterres condemns Israeli strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar as ‘flagrant violation’

Guterres condemns Israeli strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar as ‘flagrant violation’

In a statement, António Guterres spoke out against what he called a “flagrant violation” of Qatari sovereignty and territorial integrity. He insisted that all parties must focus on achieving a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, “not (on) destroying it”. No senior leaders killed, claims Hamas Hamas reported that six people had been killed, including the son […]

World News in Brief: Casualties in Ukraine, Burkina Faso aid helicopter blast, Uganda urged to release opposition leaders

World News in Brief: Casualties in Ukraine, Burkina Faso aid helicopter blast, Uganda urged to release opposition leaders

The monthly total also marked a three-year high, topping June’s figure, with HRMMU verifying civilian deaths and injuries in 18 of Ukraine’s 24 regions.   “For the second month in a row, the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine hits a new three-year high,” said Danielle Bell, Head of HRMMU. “Only the first three months […]

Once-in-a-decade push for the ‘locked out’: Global leaders set for landmark UN conference in Turkmenistan

Once-in-a-decade push for the ‘locked out’: Global leaders set for landmark UN conference in Turkmenistan

Backed by the new Awaza Programme of Action, the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries or LLDC3 will push for freer transit, smarter trade corridors, stronger economic resilience and fresh financing to lift development prospects for the 570 million people living in those countries. For landlocked nations, geography has long dictated destiny.   Trade […]

Two ex-militia leaders in Central African Republic sentenced for war crimes, crimes against humanity

Two ex-militia leaders in Central African Republic sentenced for war crimes, crimes against humanity

Alfred Yekatom and Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona received prison sentences of 15 and 12 years for their roles in brutal attacks against civilians – primarily from the country’s mainly Muslim Seleka population – during the 2013-14 civil war. They were found guilty “beyond any reasonable doubt” of leading and facilitating attacks on civilians in the capital, Bangui, […]

It’s time to finance our future and ‘change course’, Guterres tells world leaders in Sevilla

It’s time to finance our future and ‘change course’, Guterres tells world leaders in Sevilla

António Guterres issued his clarion call noting that sustainable development powered by international cooperation, is now facing “massive headwinds.” Addressing the opening session of the 4th Financing for Development Conference (FFD4) in baking hot Sevilla, Spain – basking in record high June temperatures – the Secretary-General noted multilateralism itself is also feeling the heat, while […]

LIVE: World leaders in Sevilla launch ambitious push to finance the future

LIVE: World leaders in Sevilla launch ambitious push to finance the future

From rising debt and shrinking investment, to the aid funding crisis and struggles to meet ambitious development goals, the global financial system is failing the people it’s supposed to serve: that’s the challenge facing world leaders gathered in Spain’s sweltering southern jewel of Sevilla this week, as the  UN’s 4th International Conference on Financing for […]

Millions remain invisible – but Asia-Pacific leaders pledge change by 2030

Millions remain invisible – but Asia-Pacific leaders pledge change by 2030

Now, governments have committed to close that gap by 2030. At the conclusion of the Third Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia and the Pacific, leaders adopted a renewed declaration to strengthen national civil registration systems – the foundational mechanisms that register births, deaths and other vital events. The move extends […]

‘Jerusalem is not for sale’ Palestinian President Abbas tells world leaders at UN Assembly

‘Jerusalem is not for sale’ Palestinian President Abbas tells world leaders at UN Assembly

President Abbas underscored his commitment to peace and the two-state solution, as well as the path of negotiation to achieve them, reiterating that peace in the Middle East cannot be realized without an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital. “We have always fully and positively engaged with the various initiatives of the […]

UN chief urges world leaders to keep two-State solution ‘alive’

UN chief urges world leaders to keep two-State solution ‘alive’

“It is absolutely essential to keep alive the two-State solution perspective with all the terrible things we are witnessing in Gaza and the West Bank,” Mr. Guterres told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York. He was responding to a question about his message to leaders gathering at a high-level international conference later this month […]

UN chief urges world leaders to keep two-State solution ‘alive’

UN chief urges world leaders to keep two-State solution ‘alive’

“It is absolutely essential to keep alive the two-State solution perspective with all the terrible things we are witnessing in Gaza and the West Bank,” Mr. Guterres told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York. He was responding to a question about his message to leaders gathering at a high-level international conference later this month […]

‘We are the present’: Tajik climate activist urges leaders to include youth voices in dialogue

‘We are the present’: Tajik climate activist urges leaders to include youth voices in dialogue

At the end of April, Fariza Dzhobirova attended a Model United Nations Conference on Glaciers’ Preservation in Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe, where she represented Switzerland. For Ms. Dzhobirova, it was a rehearsal of sorts for the actual High-level Conference on Glaciers’ Preservation which began on Thursday in Dushanbe. There, she will serve as a panel member representing […]

Pandemic heroes stepped up in 2020 – now they’re asking world leaders to do the same

Pandemic heroes stepped up in 2020 – now they’re asking world leaders to do the same

A defining moment for global health is about to unfold in Geneva. The World Health Assembly is meeting next week to negotiate the Pandemic Preparedness Treaty, a document born from the catastrophic failures and fragile victories of the COVID-19 pandemic. The text of the treaty promises shared information, equitable access to vaccines and therapeutics, and […]