To help understand why this international treaty is important, UN News has put together a quick guide on global efforts to eradicate exposure to quicksilver, as mercury is also known. Making waves The landmark Convention is named after the Japanese coastal city where residents suffered decades of mercury poisoning from industrial wastewater released by a…
“Over 1000 people have died and many more been injured following horrific acts of violence by Hamas on Saturday in Israel, and days of bombing by Israel in Gaza,” the WHO said in a statement on Tuesday. The UN agency has offered assistance to health officials in both Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. …
A World Food Programme (WFP) staff member distributes bread to a family sheltered at a UN school in Gaza. Calling for establishing safe humanitarian corridors to facilitate aid deliveries, WFP also issued an urgent appeal for $17.3 million to address the critical situation in the next four weeks. WFP had delivered ready-to-eat food to 73,000…
Presenting the Mission’s latest report, UN Special Representative Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert updated ambassadors on key developments since her last briefing in May. She highlighted initiatives carried out under the leadership of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, including the recently adopted federal budget, the launch of long-awaited reforms in the banking and finance sectors, and a new…
Ahead of the International Day of the Girl Child, marked annually on 11 October, Asa Torkelsson, the Fund’s Country Director in Thailand, spoke to UN News and explained how the UN is supporting access to sexual and reproductive health, especially for young people. UN News: How widespread is teen pregnancy in Thailand? Asa Torkelsson: The Thai…
António Guterres was speaking to journalists at UN Headquarters in New York following meeting with senior UN leaders on what he called the “unprecedented developments” in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. “Let me begin by repeating my utter condemnation of the abhorrent attacks by Hamas and others against Israeli towns and villages in the…
Vitit Muntarbhorn, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, also said that the hereditary succession to power raised serious concerns with respect to human rights, democratic principles and the international rule of law. Mr. Muntarbhorn and other rights experts had previously described the lead-up to and the outcome of the July…
Families living in refugee camps, including new arrivals who have fled from Sudan, are receiving food parcels for the first time since WFP paused food distributions in June, following reports of large-scale diversions. Resuming food assistance for refugees is vital. Around 35,000 people who have fled from Sudan to Ethiopia in the last six months…
In his message marking World Mental Health Day on Tuesday 10 October, the UN chief underlined that mental health is vital to humanity, allowing us to lead fulfilling lives and contribute positively to our communities. One in eight people globally lives with a mental health condition, with women and young people impacted the most. Many face…
With the Internet holding a critical role in navigating these complexities, the 18th annual Internet Governance Forum hosted by the Government of Japan is under the overarching theme, ‘The Internet We Want – Empowering All People.” Mitigating the risks Considering the rapid tech advances, including in Artificial Intelligence (AI), risking exacerbating existing inequalities, the Forum…
