More work needs to be done to ensure people around the world know about the new global climate change agreement.
The universal deal was agreed by world leaders in December in Paris, France.
Yet, the outgoing Assistant Secretary-General for Climate Change, Janos Pasztor says more must be done to get the word out about how the agreement impacts each and every one of us.
The UN Secretary-General is visiting drought-affected communities in Ethiopia on the margins of the African Union summit, which concludes this Sunday in the capital, Addis Ababa.
The country is facing its worst drought in three decades and the window of opportunity to avert a catastrophe “is very rapidly closing.”
That’s according to UN Resident Coordinator Ahunna Eziakonwa-Onochie who says UN agencies need US$1.4 billion to help feed and support more than 10 million people there.
West African countries are being encouraged to transform their economies to prevent young people from abandoning their homelands for a better life abroad.
That recommendation comes from Mohamed Ibn Chambas, head of the UN office in the region, UNOWA, who says European countries could also consider exporting low-skills jobs to Africa to help curb youth migration.
Rwanda leads the world when it comes to the number of women serving in parliament.
More than half the elected officials there are women.
Gender equality is also helping to reduce poverty in remote areas of the East African country, according to the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Joanne Levitan reports on a training programme that is changing lives on family farms in rural Rwanda.
Duration: 4’12”
The Security Council has heard conflicting views on the situation in Burundi, including fears by the radical opposition that a genocide is in the making.
Council members met on Friday to review their recent mission to the country which has been in chaos since last April, following the President’s decision to run for a contested third term.
The crisis has led to hundreds of deaths and reports of human rights violations. It has also forced more than 200,000 people to flee to neighbouring countries.
The New Year brings new focus on ensuring that people everywhere have access to clean and affordable energy sources.
That’s the hope expressed by Rachel Kyte, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All.
Last year, world leaders adopted the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and a climate change deal aimed at reducing the impact of global warming.
A South African man who lost his leg in a shark attack is on a global quest to save the fish.
Achmat Hassiem lost his right leg from the knee down after the attack off the waters of Cape Town some 10 years ago. He is now not only a Paralympic medallist in swimming, but this week Mr Hassiem was also named the “Global Shark Guardian” by the UN Save our Sharks Coalition.
Commercial fisheries target sharks throughout the world, mostly for their fins and meat. Up to 100 million are killed annually. Experts say 30 per cent of shark species are now face extinction.
The Somali government has agreed on a new electoral model, in what the top UN official in the country has called a “watershed” moment.
The agreement lays out the structure of an envisioned federal government for the conflict-ridden country.
The Horn of Africa country has experienced more than two decades of political turmoil and violence. Elections are due to take place there later this year.
Veronica Reeves has compiled this report.
Duration: 2'07"
Some 14.4 million Yemenis, more than half of the population of the Gulf state, do not have enough to eat according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The number of hungry people has increased by 12 per cent in just the last eight months, as ongoing conflict and import restrictions reduce the availability and increase the cost of food.
Sandra Ferrari has been speaking to Etienne Peterschmitt, who leads the FAO emergency response team in Yemen.
Investors and business leaders from around the world have gathered at the UN to scale up investment in clean energy sources.
Last year, investments in renewable energy such as solar and wind power hit a record US$330 billion globally, and the UN Secretary-General is calling for a doubling in investment by 2020.
The Investor Summit on Climate Risk comes one month after the signing of the Paris climate change agreement.
