Addressing the UN General Assembly on Thursday, Presidents of Kiribati, Timor-Leste, Micronesia and Nauru called for accelerated climate action, urging major emitters worldwide to commit to substantial reductions in emissions by 2030. These nations, while contributing negligibly to global emissions, highlighted bold ambitions to curb their own carbon footprints, exemplified by Micronesia’s pledge to reduce…
In its latest report, the UN Human Rights Council (OHCHR) body found that attacks on civilians, escalating fighting, economic decline and human rights violations persist, despite the country’s re-admission to the League of Arab States. The continued war in Syria is a “monument to the failure of diplomacy” said Inquiry Chair, Paulo Pinheiro. Speaking in…
With a new area the size of Paris under development around the globe every week, the construction industry contributes heavily to climate change. However, the sector has received only a fraction of environmentalists’ attention and of the funds allocated to combat emissions compared with other industries. Until now, most of the focus has been made on…
Since the crisis began when rival military groups clashed in mid-April, projections of growing numbers of people trying to escape fighting have sharply spiked upwards. “The crisis has triggered an urgent demand for humanitarian assistance, as those arriving in remote border areas find themselves in desperate circumstances due to inadequate services, poor infrastructure and limited…
This week marks six years since over 700,000 mostly-Muslim Rohingya men, women, and children joined the hundreds of thousands of others already sheltering in Bangladesh, following a brutal crackdown by security forces in Myanmar. As humanitarian conditions in the world’s largest refugee settlement worsen, however, the challenges surrounding this protracted crisis continue to increase. Funds…
In his message for the Day, UN chief António Guterres called human trafficking “a heinous violation of fundamental human rights and freedoms.” He said that this crime preys on vulnerability and thrives in times of conflict and instability, with more and more people targeted today. “The majority of detected victims are women and children, many of…
“This deterioration is taking place alongside ongoing unilateral steps that undermine a two-State solution, the absence of a peace process and the continuing economic challenges facing Palestinians and the Palestinian Authority (PA),” said Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for Middle East, briefing ambassadors. “It is critical that all parties take urgent steps to stop the downward…
The spillover will be devastating for both peace and stability in a region already experiencing political instability, climate extremes, food and water insecurity, and economic decline, the agency warned. Growing crisis “We are increasingly concerned about an overflow from the security crisis in the Sahel into coastal countries – particularly the Gulf of Guinea,” said…
Haiti The security situation in Haiti “is appalling,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, recalling his recent visit to the fragile nation. He called for swift action at a time when the humanitarian needs are “soaring”. And although “there is not yet the political solution in sight”, the UN chief expressed hope and optimism. “It is…
“About five million children under the age of five are estimated to be facing acute malnutrition in 2023 in the Horn region, in the Greater Horn. That is about 10.4 million, that is just a staggering figure,” said Liesbeth Aelbrecht, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) incident manager for the greater Horn of Africa emergency. Three…
