Nearly 14 million children in Sudan need humanitarian support: UNICEF

World News in Brief: Engagement with Sudan, Red Sea vessel attacks, SDGs disabilities promise

On Friday, the Security Council adopted a resolution to close the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) following a request last month from the authorities. UNITAMS was established in June 2020 to provide support to Sudan for an initial 12-month period during its transition to democratic rule following the overthrow of President Omar…

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Shock and terror in Gaza as bombardment of shattered enclave resumes

Shock and terror in Gaza as bombardment of shattered enclave resumes

The sound of shells exploding shortly after 7am Gaza time was clearly audible at Nasser hospital in the south, where terrified and traumatised youngsters immediately reacted by clinging to their mothers in fright, said James Elder from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). “The bombs started just a few seconds after the ceasefire (ended),” Mr. Elder…

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Global agrifood systems are the climate solution, new FAO report highlights 

Global agrifood systems are the climate solution, new FAO report highlights 

The current climate crisis is affecting the world’s capacity to produce sufficient food. Its multiple impacts on water, soil, biodiversity, as well as the frequency of extreme weather events are leading to increased food insecurity. These effects diminish crop yields, livestock productivity, and the potential of fisheries and aquaculture as food producers, according to the report….

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Unprecedented drought emergency demands urgent action

Unprecedented drought emergency demands urgent action

The Global Drought Snapshot report, released by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) on Friday, coinciding with COP 28, paint a grim picture of the scale of lives and livelihoods lost to droughts. Ibrahim Thiaw, UNCCD Executive Secretary, emphasized the urgency of the situation. “Unlike other disasters that attract media attention, droughts happen silently,…

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World News in Brief: Gaza aid, supporting Afghan returnees, end modern slavery, SDGs disabilities promise

World News in Brief: Gaza aid, supporting Afghan returnees, end modern slavery, SDGs disabilities promise

He said the UN was able to step up delivery of basic supplies into and across the Gaza Strip during the week-long pause in fighting, primarily through the Egyptian and Palestinian Red Crescent Societies. This included 630 metric tonnes of flour for 224,000 people in the south, and 63,000 blankets and mattresses.   “Cooking gas had…

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COP28: As ‘humanity’s fate hangs in the balance’, UN chief calls for urgent action to prevent planetary crash

COP28: As ‘humanity’s fate hangs in the balance’, UN chief calls for urgent action to prevent planetary crash

The UN chief delivered his impassioned appeal at the high-level opening of the Global Climate Action Summit, which will see world leaders and Heads of State and Government taking centre stage for the next two days in the Al Waha Theatre in Dubai’s iconic Expo City. Warning that “humanity’s fate is hanging in the balance”,…

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COP28 gets underway in Dubai with call for ‘terminal decline’ of the fossil fuel era

COP28 gets underway in Dubai with call for ‘terminal decline’ of the fossil fuel era

“We are taking baby steps and stepping far too slowly to work out the best responses to the complex climate impacts we are faced with,” Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change Simon Stiell told delegates gathered for COP28.  The 28th annual meeting known as ‘COP’ after the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention…

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