Better data on corruption can reduce its impact, support sustainable development

Explainer: How the UN is promoting a ‘global commitment to fight corruption’

PNP DeskDecember 8, 2023September 17, 2024010 mins

The Executive Director of UNODC, Ghada Waly, was speaking ahead of what she describes as a “milestone” meeting taking place in Atlanta in the United States which will discuss how to improve international cooperation and to better prevent and tackle corruption. It’s widely accepted that corruption diverts crucial resources, hampers essential services, enables organized crime, and deepens inequalities and grievances. As the UN marks International Anti-Corruption…

Do’s and don’ts for tackling chronic back pain

PNP DeskDecember 7, 2023September 17, 202405 mins

Notably, the guidance includes both recommendations and warnings for long-term sufferers, arguing against the use of opioid painkillers; physical therapies, such as traction; and lumbar braces and belts. Instead, healthcare professionals are advised to develop exercise programmes; help patients educate themselves on the options and self-care strategies; and provide psychological support, such as cognitive behavioural…

COP28 in Dubai enters final week, negotiations ramp up on emissions cuts, fossil fuels

PNP DeskDecember 7, 2023September 17, 202404 mins

On Wednesday, UN climate chief Simon Stiell told a press conference that the text is “a grab bag of wish lists and heavy on posturing.” He added: “All governments must give their negotiators clear marching orders. We need highest ambition, not point scoring or lowest common denominator politics.” UN chief António Guterres has said the…

Stories from the UN Archive: The man who defined genocide

PNP DeskDecember 7, 2023September 17, 202402 mins

On the eve of International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, 9 December, we looked at the origin of the word. Mr. Lemkin developed the term partly in response to the Nazi policies of systematic murder of Jewish people during the Holocaust, but…

Gaza fighting further compromises aid amid near ‘apocalyptic’ conditions: UN humanitarians

PNP DeskDecember 7, 2023September 17, 202407 mins

In a joint statement 27 aid organisations including UN agencies and their partners issued a call for an immediate stop to the fighting, stressing that conditions in Gaza are “amongst the worst we have witnessed”. Meanwhile on Thursday Israeli troops reportedly entered the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, where hundreds of thousands of displaced…

World News in Brief: Russia’s LGBT ban condemned, unprecedented Africa malnutrition crisis, health after childbirth

PNP DeskDecember 7, 2023September 17, 202408 mins

This, in effect, bans all public LGBT activities and organisations within the country. The nine UN Human Rights Council-appointed experts said the ruling “significantly distances” Russia from its obligations under international law to promote and protect human rights for all. The experts sent an official letter to the Russian Government on Monday, outlining their urgent…

Protect those on the move using deadly Darién crossing

PNP DeskDecember 7, 2023September 17, 202403 mins

That figure is more than double the crossings made in all of 2022. Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, underscored the scale of the crisis. “The challenges that the unprecedented population movements in the Americas pose are formidable…no country on its own is equipped to address them,” he said. “Only by coming together with…

Global cooperation critical to combat transnational organized crime

PNP DeskDecember 7, 2023September 17, 202409 mins

António Guterres urged countries to strengthen cooperation, the rule of law and prevention efforts against this “vicious threat to peace, security, and sustainable development” that operates everywhere, including cyberspace – “a virtual El Dorado for criminals.” Different crimes, same outcomes Transnational organized crime is a multi-billion-dollar industry that encompasses illicit financial flows, the illicit trade…

COP28 is about action, not politics, ‘posturing or point scoring,’ says UN climate chief

PNP DeskDecember 6, 2023September 17, 202405 mins

Mr. Stiell’s strong message to government negotiators comes as the latest UN climate conference, running in the UAE’s main city, Dubai, since last Thursday, reaches the halfway mark with agreement on financing for climate adaptation and the fate of fossil fuels still up in the air. “All governments must give their negotiators clear marching orders”. …

UN’s Türk urges probe into alleged sexual violence during Hamas terror attacks

PNP DeskDecember 6, 2023September 17, 202409 mins

The High Commissioner also rejected allegations of double standards regarding the UN’s position on the crisis in Gaza, noting that he had been made aware of allegations of sexual violence during the Hamas attack on communities in southern Israel. It was “painfully clear” that the “atrocious” attacks should be fully investigated independently “because that is…