Global

Jun Ishikawa delivers a statement at the Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2014 at UN Headquarters in New York.

FEATURE: Visually impaired professor to light way forward on UN disability agenda

2 December 2016
Human Rights

Of the world’s 7.4 billion people, some 15 per cent – or one billion – are said to have some form of disability.

There are still over 11 million women in slavery around the world. We need to take action and #EndSlaveryNow!
ILO

On International Day, UN spotlights need to combat forced labour, particularly of children

2 December 2016
Human Rights

Noting that the number of children engaged in the worst forms of child labour has decreased and frameworks to tackle contemporary slavery and trafficking have expanded, senior United Nations officials, including the Secretary-General and the head of the UN labour agency, today called for concerted action to save those who remain trapped in extreme exploitation, abuse and violence, including sexual and gender-based violence.

The tramway service between Rabat and Salé in Morocco.
World Bank/Arne Hoel

Participants endorse 'Ashgabat Statement' as first-ever UN conference on sustainable transport ends

27 November 2016
Economic Development

The first-ever United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference concluded today in the Turkmen capital, with more than 50 countries endorsing the 'Ashgabat Statement on Commitments and Policy Recommendations,' with a view to supporting cleaner, greener transportation – from local transit systems to worldwide multimodal networks.

The tramway service between Rabat and Salé in Morocco.
World Bank/Arne Hoel

UN conference to address way forward on global sustainable transport challenges

25 November 2016
Economic Development

The first-ever global conference on sustainable transport takes place this weekend in Turkmenistan, bringing together representatives from the United Nations, governments, the private sector and civil society to set new directions for global transport efforts.

Michael Simpson, Executive Director, Secure World Foundation (left); Simonetta Di Pippo, Director, United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) (centre); and Mohammed Nasser Al-AHBABI, of the United Arab Emirates Space Agency (right).

Space community underlines need for stronger cooperation as UN conference in Dubai closes

24 November 2016
SDGs

Members of the global space community have affirmed the need for stronger international cooperation and dialogue as they wrapped up the work of a high-level United Nations forum in Dubai.

UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and astronaut Scott Kelly launching the #whyspacematters photo contest. (file photo)
Photo: UNOOSA

UN names former astronaut Scott Kelly as ‘Champion for Space’

21 November 2016
Economic Development

As part of a high-level United Nations forum under way in the United Arab Emirates aimed at exploring the role of space in socio-economic and sustainable development, the UN appointment of astronaut Scott Kelly as ‘United Nations Champion for Space.’

Photo: WHO
WHO

UN chief urges rapid scale-up in action to prevent vehicle-related deaths and injuries

20 November 2016
Economic Development

With more than 3,400 people, many of them young men and women, losing their lives on the world's roads every day, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon marked the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims with a strong call to scale up action to prevent these deaths.

Many communities in Central Asia, like Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province in Tajikistan are prone to disasters such as flooding and mudslides. The UN is working with the Government to develop a country-wide disaster-resilience strategy.
OCHA/Z. Nurmukhambetova

MARRAKECH: UN seeks to build climate resilience through new initiative

15 November 2016
Climate and Environment

As the United Nations Climate Conference under way in Marrakech, Morocco, (COP 22) is discussing implementation of the Paris Agreement, the UN is also seeking to build climate resilience through the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s resilience initiative called A2R (Anticipate, Absorb, Reshape), launched a year ago.

WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas

INTERVIEW: What extreme weather and global temperature rise mean for humanity – WMO chief

15 November 2016
Climate and Environment

In a new report analyzing the global climate between 2011-2015, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) – the United Nations system’s weather agency – found an increasingly visible human footprint on extreme weather and climate events with dangerous and costly impacts.

Innovators using a specialised computer.
UNICEF/Giacomo Pirozzi

With ‘Silicon Valley’ model, UNICEF invests in tech start-ups working to improve children’s lives

15 November 2016
SDGs

Using a venture capital approach – investing in companies with short track records but long-term growth possibilities – the United Nations Children’s Fund announced today the first five emerging market start-ups to which it will provide seed money to source solutions for issues like transportation, wearable technology, finance, and personal data.