Global

© FAO/ Egypt

UN agriculture agency chief calls on world’s mayors to make ‘global commitments local realities’

19 February 2019
SDGs

At a time of rapid urbanization, cities face challenges that are global in nature but require “the full engagement of local authorities” for multilateral solutions, the head of the United Nations agriculture agency told a special gathering of mayors on Tuesday.

© UNICEF/UN0212108/Mohammadi

UN global education envoy urges new funding for ‘lost generation’ of children forced out of classrooms by conflict

19 February 2019
Culture and Education

A child’s “real passport” to the future – education – should be stamped in the classroom, not at a border checkpoint, UN Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown said on Tuesday. 

© UNHCR/Diego Ibarra Sánchez

Not enough resettlement solutions for refugees worldwide, says UN

19 February 2019
Migrants and Refugees

Despite record numbers of people forcibly displaced across borders, with 1.2 million in need of a new permanent place to call home last year, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) released new data on Tuesday showing that only 55,700 of them – 4.7 per cent – were able to be resettled in 2018.

UN Environment/Veejay Villafranca

UN agency plan tackles ‘hidden cost’ of gold, paves way for safer, mercury-free mining

18 February 2019
Health

From smartphones to wedding rings, the hidden cost of everyday gold is its threat to human and environmental health, according to a new United Nations-driven initiative launched on Monday that aims to tackle mercury-based mining methods.

© UNICEF/UN0261446/Rusanganwa

Country origin ‘best predictor of outcome’ for children with cancer, UN experts say

15 February 2019
Health

Each year, an estimated 215 000 cancers are diagnosed in children under-15, and about 85 000 cancers in those aged 15–19 years, the cancer research agency of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.

UN Photo/Loey Felipe

UN announces roadmap to Climate Summit in 2019, a ‘critical year’ for climate action

14 February 2019
Climate Change

2019 is a critical year, the “last chance” for the international community to take effective action on climate change, General Assembly President Maria Espinosa said on Thursday, during a briefing to announce the UN’s roadmap to the Climate Summit in September.

UNESCO

Radio still a powerful worldwide tool for ‘dialogue, tolerance and peace’: Guterres

13 February 2019
UN Affairs

Radio is a powerful tool that continues to promote “dialogue, tolerance and peace,” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in message on Thursday, marking World Radio Day.

World Bank/Arne Hoel

‘Shared responsibility’ to stop 420,000 needless deaths from tainted food each year, UN, world leaders warn

12 February 2019
Health

Each year, food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins or chemicals cause more than 600 million people to fall ill, and 420,000 to die worldwide, prompting a call from world leaders on Tuesday for greater international cooperation to make the food chain safer.

UNICEF/Sparks

Despite falling attacks, ISIL terrorists remain ‘global threat’: UN report

11 February 2019
Peace and Security

Though attacks were down last year, a new United Nations report to the Security Council on Monday shows that ISIL is still a global threat, despite evolving into a “covert” terrorism network, with countries continuing to face challenges from the growing scourge of violent extremism.

UN Women/Faith Bwibo

Engaging women and girls in science ‘vital’ for Sustainable Development Goals

11 February 2019
Women

Boosting the number of women and girls entering careers involving STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) is vital to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, UN chief António Guterres said on Monday, in a message to mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.