New temperature records, food security threats likely as El Niño looms
El Niño and La Niña are natural phenomena which WMO describes as “major drivers of the Earth’s climate system”. After a three-year La Niña spell, which is associated with ocean…
Human rights ‘best antidote’ to advance peace, Security Council hears
Ambassadors met to examine the Council’s efforts towards building trust that leads to sustainable peace, in light of current and emerging threats. “Full compliance with human rights is the best…
Afghanistan: Guterres says women worker ban ‘unacceptable and puts lives in jeopardy’
Secretary-General António Guterres was speaking to reporters in Doha, Qatar, after convening an international meeting of Special Envoys on Afghanistan. He said they had agreed on the need for a…
Freedom of the press under attack worldwide
The appeal comes in his message ahead of World Press Freedom Day, celebrated annually on 3 May, in line with a 1993 UN General Assembly resolution. The focus this year…
Stamping out corruption can give SDGs $3 trillion boost
“Corruption drains more than 5 per cent of the global GDP,” said Lachezara Stoeva. “Of the approximately $13 trillion in global public spending, up to 25 per cent is lost…
Health systems show first major signs of post-COVID-19 recovery
“It is welcome news that health systems in the majority of countries are starting to restore essential health services for millions of people who missed them during the pandemic,” said…
Sudan latest: Over 100,000 have now fled says UNHCR
Those fleeing the fighting include Sudanese refugees as well as people who were themselves refugees in Sudan. UNHCR estimates that the number of refugees and returnees may rise to over…
Fragile gains on reducing child marriage, under threat from ‘polycrisis’: UNICEF
Currently, one in five young women aged 20 to 24, were married as children, versus nearly one in four a decade ago, according to the new analysis, entitled, Is an…
Imprisoned Iranian women journalists receive UN press freedom prize
Niloofar Hamedi, Elaheh Mohammadi and Narges Mohammadi have been named as the laureates of the 2023 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize at a time when women journalists are increasingly…
WFP resumes operations in Sudan, as fighting continues
WFP had paused its life-saving activities after three staff were killed in North Darfur on 15 April, the first day of clashes between the Sudanese army and the rival Rapid…