Reacting to the adoption of the outcome document, UN chief Antonio Guterres said mention of the world’s leading contributor to climate change comes after many years in which the discussion of this issue was blocked. The Secretary-General stressed that the era of fossil fuels must end with justice and equity. “To those who opposed a…
The 10-year-old mission in Mali, MINUSMA is currently winding down ahead of its end of December deadline to leave. In his speech to the UN General Assembly in September this year, Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombohe, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, called for the UN peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, to begin its withdrawal from the…
That warning came from the UN World Health Organization (WHO) on Universal Health Coverage Day – observed on Tuesday – which said without urgent action, “these gaps will only widen”. Health agency chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed that investing in resilient health systems, based on strong primary healthcare, is “the most inclusive, equitable and cost-effective…
Briefing reporters from Gaza, Dr. Richard Peeperkorn, WHO’s representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, described corridors overflowing with trauma patients at Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, where doctors treat people on the floor and fuel, oxygen, food and water are scarce. In just 66 days of fighting, the Strip has been transformed from a “reasonably…
“This is a pivotal day. We are here to rebuild a foundation of hope – hope that we need now, perhaps more than ever, at this sombre moment in history,” Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said, addressing participants which included leaders from Poland, Slovenia, Estonia, Greece Senegal, Colombia and the Maldives, taking to…
The southeast Asian country’s opium output has surpassed that of Afghanistan, where the Taliban imposed a ban on its production in April last year – leading to a 95 per cent fall in cultivation, UNODC said. The area under opium cultivation this year is estimated to be 47,100 hectares, up from 40,100 last year, while…
Video feed of the Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly. 4:26 PM Resolution adopted The vote on the main resolution is as follows: For: 153 Against: 10 Abstaining: 23 The resolution has passed by a large majority, securing the needed two-thirds of members. Widespread applause rings out around the General Assembly Hall. 4:24 PM…
Speaking in Doha at the launch of the Global Humanitarian Overview, Mr. Griffiths said that the situation was “getting worse”, while efforts to secure “moments of peace” remained of the “greatest importance”. According to the latest update on the emergency from UN relief coordination office (OCHA), tens of thousands of people “in desperate need of food, water, shelter,…
Launching the Global Humanitarian Overview, Martin Griffiths, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, praised the heroic efforts of humanitarians but emphasized that international support is falling far short of the escalating needs. “We thank all donors for their contributions, which amount to $20 billion so far this year – but that is just a third of what was…
In a video message to a high-level event marking the 75th anniversary of the Declaration, Mr. Guterres recalled that the landmark document presented a “beacon of hope” for humanity and a blueprint for fundamental freedoms. “As we celebrate this 75th anniversary, I call on every Member State to use this opportunity, and the Summit of…
