The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum provides a platform for young people to have a dialogue with diplomats on challenges affecting their well-being. Discussions are centred around five of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – ending poverty; zero hunger; climate action; peace, justice and strong institutions, and partnerships to make the goals…
As crises continue to unfold, there has been a lack of unity among world leaders in solving challenges for the “collective good”, the Youth Office said in a letter kickstarting the campaign. The office says it deems it important to have leaders and institutions include young people in roles where their voices can be heard,…
Addressing a high-level meeting of the General Assembly on debt sustainability, António Guterres outlined the crippling impact of debt on developing economies. “No example of the international financial architecture’s failure is more glaring than its handling of debt. The last four years have been nothing short of a debt disaster,” he said. He noted that…
Suffering is growing too and is likely to get worse, Justin Brady, head of the UN humanitarian relief office, OCHA, in Sudan, warned UN News. “Without more resources, not only will we not be able to stop a famine, we’re not going to be help able to help basically anybody,” he said. “Most of the…
“I thought I was going to lose my baby and die on the journey to hospital.” The chilling words of Samueline Razafindravao, who had to make the harrowing hours-long trip to the nearest specialist hospital in Ambovombe town in the Androy region of southern Madagascar after it became clear she might lose her child if…
In the early 1990s, Mr. Murangwa was a star player for Rayon Sports in the capital Kigali. As a Tutsi, his life was in extreme danger when the 100-day genocide, which led to over 800,000 people, overwhelmingly Tutsi, being killed. His status as a well-known footballer saved his life many times, and prompted him to…
“You’re speaking about the greatest crime against humanity ever committed,” said renowned historian Sir Hilary Beckles, who also chairs the Caribbean Community’s Reparations Commission, reflecting on the transatlantic trade that enslaved more than 10 million Africans over four centuries. “One could say it was an institution that was abolished 200 years ago, but let me…
“The Haitian population cannot wait any longer,” Volker Türk said in a video statement to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, part of an interactive dialogue on his most recent report on the country. State of emergency Mr. Türk said the already alarming situation in Haiti has deteriorated in recent week as gangs launched…
UN News spoke to Commissioner Aina Randriambelo, who described what efforts her country is making to promote gender equality and a better understanding of what constitutes sexual exploitation and abuse. Commissioner Aina Randriambelo, Madagascar’s Chief Inspector of Police. “I was really surprised when I heard that a 12-year-girl who had attended one of our school-based…
Corruption, impunity, and poor governance, compounded by increasing levels of gang violence, have eroded the rule of law in the Caribbean country and brought State institutions close to collapse. The impact of generalised insecurity on the population is dire and deteriorating, severely affecting human rights. Prevent further suffering “Tackling insecurity must be a top priority…
