UN News Centre
Measures against COVID-19 need to include refugees and migrants
WHO Regional Office for Europe A new publication highlights the importance of addressing the needs of refugees and migrants when preparing for or responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Refugees and migrants, particularly those who are displaced and/or living in camps and camp-like settings, are faced with specific challenges and vulnerabilities… »
Key COP26 climate summit postponed to ‘safeguard lives’
With no end in sight to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the UN climate change talks which were due to take place in Scotland later in the year, have been postponed until October 2021. The decision was announced on Wednesday night by the advisory group to the COP26 talks, overseen by… »
COVID-19: UN chief calls for global ceasefire to focus on ‘the true fight of our lives’
In an appeal issued on Monday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged warring parties across the world to lay down their weapons in support of the bigger battle against COVID-19: the common enemy that is now threatening all of humankind. “The fury of the virus illustrates the folly of war”, he… »
First Person: The ‘inseparable bond’ between Hawaiian culture and native plants
The 17 goals agreed by the global community to reduce poverty and create a sustainable planet are the responsibility of all people, wherever they are in the world, according to the United Nations. The Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs represent a boundary-pushing blueprint for the future of the Earth… »
UN welcomes response by Libyan parties to calls for humanitarian pause
The United Nations on Saturday welcomed the “positive responses” of Libya’s Tripoli-based government and the Libyan National Army (LNA) to calls for a pause to stop the fighting, in the hopes that this would allow humanitarian access throughout the crisis-torn country and head off the potential threat… »
Treat migrants with dignity and respect during pandemic: UN migration agency
The importance of treating migrants with dignity and respect has not changed, UN migration agency (IOM), spokesperson Joel Millman has told UN News, adding that the impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on migrants, highly represented in the food industry, which is now seeing widespread shutdowns, is ‘a huge concern’… »
Hope for ‘long-elusive progress’ in negotiating peace in eastern Ukraine
Marking the fifth anniversary of the 2015 Minsk II agreement, the UN political chief told the Security Council on Tuesday, that along with the Minsk Protocol and the Minsk memorandum, it remains “the only agreed framework” for a negotiated, peaceful settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political… »
Coronavirus spread now a global emergency declares World Health Organization
The rise in new coronavirus cases outside China, now constitutes a global health emergency, the World Health Organization’s Emergency Committee declared on Thursday, calling on all countries to take urgent measures to contain the respiratory disease. Latest WHO figures state there are more than 7,800 confirmed cases globally, with 7,736… »
UN chief outlines solutions to defeat ‘four horsemen’ threatening our global future
The start of the New Year finds the world facing four looming threats to human progress: surging geopolitical tensions, the climate crisis, global mistrust and the downsides of technology, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday. Global tensions mounting For the Secretary-General, global tensions are at their highest level in years, making the… »
Security Council, beats midnight deadline, approves Syria cross-border aid in contentious vote
The Security Council on Friday evening renewed a UN operation delivering humanitarian aid across the Syrian border to millions of civilians, but some of the body’s members expressed disappointment that the “watered down” measure cut in half the number of crossing points and duration of the authorization. Failing last month to extend… »