Global

The first elements of the new UN Emergency Force (UNEF) arrived in Cairo on 26 October 1973 to supervise the cease-fire between Egyptian and Israeli forces at the end of the Yom Kippur War. Seen here are members of the Austrian Battalion at UNEF Position 103, Suez Canal, Egypt.
UN Photo/Yutaka Nagata

FEATURE: From a first mission of 120 unarmed men – UN peacekeeping across the decades

29 December 2015
Peace and Security

It began when the United Nations was not even three years old, in the fog of the first Arab-Israeli war in 1948, the Organization’s first peacekeeping mission – 120 unarmed men in motley uniforms, not a gun between them, fanning out across scrubby hilltops and desert cliffs to monitor a shaky truce.

At a port in Greece, a young boy and his family join other refugees and migrants trying to board a bus that will transport them to the centre of Athens. UNHCR/Achilleas Zavallis

2015 in pictures: a review of some of the year’s major developments

23 December 2015
SDGs

Looking back at the year 2015, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon summed it up in two words: “breakthrough and horror.”

The site of the UN Conference on Climate Change (COP21).
Stephanie Coutrix

COP21: a ‘green’ UN climate change conference, from electric cars to the power of human energy

14 December 2015
Climate and Environment

With countries reaching a new agreement at the United Nations climate change conference (COP21), the global meeting has been qualified as a “monumental triumph” by top UN officials. While many continued to hail the outcome document as the walls of COP21 were torn down on Sunday, the UN News Centre looked back on other aspects that contributed “positive energy” to the two-week event.

Eleanor Roosevelt holds an English version poster of the Universal Declaration Human Rights (November 1949).
UN Photo

Compelling moments from 2015, told by UN human rights experts

9 December 2015
Human Rights

Every year, the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly hears from dozens of experts on human rights-related issues. The experts are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back, in an unpaid capacity, on specific human rights themes. The work of the experts, 54 of whom presented their latest findings over the past two months, covers all human rights – civil, cultural, economic, political, and social.

Janos Pasztor, Assistant Secretary-General and Senior Adviser of the Secretary-General on Climate Change.
UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

“If we take action now, we can address climate change and build a sustainable future” – Janos Pasztor

25 November 2015
Climate and Environment

Just days away from the kick-off of the 21st United Nations climate change conference — widely known as COP21 — the UN is reminding its main actors that this conference must be a turning point for climate action.

Pulses are an affordable alternative to more expensive animal-based protein, which makes them ideal for enhancing diets in poorer parts of the world.
FAO/Giuseppe Bizzarri

UN launches 2016 International Year of Pulses, celebrating benefits of legumes

10 November 2015
SDGs

Under the slogan ‘nutritious seeds for a sustainable future,’ the United Nations, led by its Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), today launched the 2016 International Year of Pulses to raise awareness about the protein power and health benefits of all kinds of dried beans and peas, boost their production and trade, and encourage new and smarter uses throughout the food chain.

Lisa Buttenheim, UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative and Head of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).
UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras

“It’s so valuable to have women on the ground, whether as a civilian or in a uniformed position” – Lisa Buttenheim

28 October 2015
Women

On 31 October 2000, the United Nations Security Council adopted the historic resolution 1325, drawing attention to the differential impact of armed conflict on women, their exclusion from conflict prevention and resolution, peacekeeping and peacebuilding, and the inextricable links between gender equality and international peace and security.

Landfills are a major source of methane emissions, and improved management can capture the methane as a clean fuel source as well as reducing health risks.
World Bank/Curt Carnemark

New UN health agency report cites measures to reduce risks from climate pollutants

22 October 2015
Health

The World Health Organization (WHO) today spotlighted the need to reduce short-lived climate pollutants like black carbon, ozone, methane and carbon dioxide that contribute to climate change and lead to more than 7 million deaths linked to air pollution each year.

Peter Sutherland, the Special Representative for International Migration (right), advises Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on issues relating to international migration and development.
UN Photo/Evan Schneider

INTERVIEW: “Refugees are the responsibility of the world… Proximity doesn’t define responsibility.” – Peter Sutherland

2 October 2015
Migrants and Refugees

Peter Sutherland is the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for International Migration. A strong advocate for the rights of migrants – and for action to increase the benefits of migration for countries of origin, destination, and migrants alike – he works to foster cooperation on issues such as protecting migrants affected by crises and ensuring their role in the development process. A former Attorney General of Ireland, Mr. Sutherland has served as EU Commissioner for competition policy, and headed the Global Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Filmmaker and founder of Project Everyone, Richard Curtis, briefs journalists on the Global Goals Campaign at UN Headquarters in New York.
UN Photo/Mark Garten

INTERVIEW: Global Goals give 'epic opportunity' to the world – Richard Curtis

4 September 2015
SDGs

Richard Curtis is known around the world as the film-maker behind international hits such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Mr. Bean, Love Actually, and Bridget Jones’s Diary, as well as for his involvement with the charity Comic Relief.