General News

If international trade is to comply with the new global development agenda, it must be more inclusive and compatible with the needs of the natural environment.

That’s according to Arancha Gonzalez, Executive Director at the International Trade Centre (ITC), a joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Ms Gonzalez is at UN Headquarters in New York for this weekend’s summit on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Young African people are voicing their hopes and fears for the future, meeting UN leaders face to face this week inside a new interactive "Peoples Hub".

Situated at UN headquarters in New York, the event space which has been created to coincide with the 70th session of the General Assembly is focused on giving young people a multi-media experience, where they can also air their views.

Violence by the Boko Haram terrorist group has uprooted more than two million people in the Lake Chad Basin countries in Africa, a region the UN says was already facing drought, high malnutrition and other humanitarian challenges.

UN Humanitarian Coordinator Stephen O’Brien chaired a high-level meeting on Friday to show solidarity with Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, the four affected countries.

The new global agenda aimed at eradicating extreme poverty and protecting the planet represents a way of “doing development differently,” according to a senior United Nations official.

Helen Clark, Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and a former New Zealand Prime Minister, says the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will promote economic progress that takes nature into consideration.

The impact of war means that record numbers of children are being kept out of the classroom, according to the UN Special Envoy for Global Education, Gordon Brown.

Conflicts in the Middle East and beyond, have turned millions of pupils into refugees, the former British Prime Minister said, while funding has been cut year-on-year.

He was speaking just after it was announced that he will chair a new International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity, which has been set up by the Government of Norway.

A new global development agenda that promises a sustainable future for all people and the planet has been adopted by the 193 countries that make up the United Nations.

Agenda 2030 aims to eliminate extreme poverty, fight inequality and combat the effects of climate change over the next 15 years.

Dianne Penn’s report begins with the moment when Danish Prime Minister Lars Lÿkke Rasmussen made the announcement in the General Assembly on Friday.

Duration: 2'33"

World leaders have been told by the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, that more needs to be done to help the world’s most disadvantaged people in times of peace and war.

In a wide-ranging speech at the UN General Assembly in New York, the Pontiff said that human beings were too often, in his words, “discarded” during conflicts.

This is the fifth time that a Pope has visited the United Nations.

Daniel Dickinson reports.

Duration: 3'17"

His Holiness the Pope told United Nations staff to carry on working for peace, in peace,during his visit to the organization's  headquarters in New York on Friday.

Pope Francis is visiting the United States for the first time.

He has a packed itinerary in the city, including a speech to the General Assembly, a visit to Ground Zero, and a procession through Central Park.

At UN headquarters, the Secretary General told the pope that his humility and humanity was an inspiration to staff across the world.

Matthew Wells reports on an historic morning.

Regional integration, evolving leadership, increased participation of women in politics and vibrant young people are just some of the reasons why a leading businessman is optimistic about East Africa.

Ashish J Thakkar, founder of Mara Group, believes that despite numerous challenges, the region is, in his words, “on the right track.”

Mr Thakkar, who is in his 30s, began his first business as a teenager.  Today, he oversees operations in 22 African countries employing more than 10,000 people in sectors such as technology, manufacturing and financial services.

Everything is in good shape for the Pope’s historic visit to the UN on Friday, according to Catherine Pollard, the senior official in charge of papal preparations in New York.

His visit will kick-off the UN’s 70^th year, and he will address leaders from all 193 member states at the General Assembly.

The visit has taken many months to plan. Maoqi Li, asked Ms Pollard what preparations had been made.

Duration: 4'21"