UN chief urges ‘surge in investment’ to overcome $4 trillion financing gap

UN chief urges ‘surge in investment’ to overcome $4 trillion financing gap

According to UN estimates, the world is facing an annual financing gap of about $4 trillion to achieve sustainable development, leaving countries with hardly any resources to invest in better education, healthcare, renewable energy or social protection. “The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are hanging by a thread, and with them, the hopes and dreams of…

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UNICEF urges support for children, as wildfires rage across Greece

Heatwave deaths increased across almost all Europe in 2023, says UN weather agency

New data published jointly by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Copernicus Climate Change Service confirmed fears that 2023 was the joint warmest or second warmest year on record in Europe. In practical terms, this led to a record number of days with “extreme heat stress” across Europe, “an increasing trend” in the number “strong…

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First Person: Crafting a new life after a devastating hurricane

44-year-old Vanessa Winston lives in Roseau, the capital of Dominica, where she runs a small-scale business primarily making bespoke, hand-made fashion accessories. She is also President of the UN-supported Dominica Arts & Craft Producers Association, which helps its members to promote their products.  Hurricane Maria destroyed her home and the workshop where she produced all…

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Retaliatory spiral in Middle East must end, says UN chief after strikes on Iran

Retaliatory spiral in Middle East must end, says UN chief after strikes on Iran

“The Secretary-General condemns any act of retaliation and appeals to the international community to work together to prevent any further development that could lead to devastating consequences for the entire region and beyond,” he said in a statement issued by his Office. Echoing those concerns, UN atomic energy agency chief Rafael Grossi urged “extreme restraint”…

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World News in Brief: Green light for new cholera vaccine, Ukraine attacks condemned, action against racism call, Brazil rights defenders alert

World News in Brief: Green light for new cholera vaccine, Ukraine attacks condemned, action against racism call, Brazil rights defenders alert

The World Health Organization (WHO) decision means that Euvichol-S vaccine can be added to other cholera-busting drugs which are not being produced in sufficient quantities to help countries battling outbreaks of the preventable disease. WHO reported 473,000 cholera cases in 2022 – double the number in 2021. “The new vaccine is the third product of…

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Ukraine war, ‘stark reminder’ of the trials facing multilateralism

Ukraine war, ‘stark reminder’ of the trials facing multilateralism

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ian Borg briefed ambassadors during their annual meeting on cooperation between the UN and the regional body, which is comprised of 57 States spanning Europe, Central Asia and North America, representing one billion people.   The Maltese Foreign Minister said OSCE countries and their societies “are confronted with an era of profound uncertainty”, given…

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