Global

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.

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.

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.

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.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien speaks to the UN News Centre.
UN Photo/Mark Garten

INTERVIEW: “At the end of the day, every life saved is an achievement in itself.” – UN humanitarian chief Stephen O’Brien

18 August 2015
Humanitarian Aid

Stephen O'Brien has hit the ground running since taking up his post a couple of months ago as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, having seen first-hand the devastation wrought by ongoing conflicts in South Sudan, Iraq, Yemen and Syria.

A woman lights a fire at her home in Laos. UNICEF/LAO-2015-Noorani-0083/Noorani

Photo Story: Sustainable Energy for All 2015 – 'Converting commitments to kilowatts '

22 May 2015
SDGs

More than a billion people – one in five globally – lack electricity to light their homes or conduct business, according to a recent World Bank report. Nearly three billion rely on dangerous, polluting fuels – such as wood, charcoal and animal dung – to cook and heat their homes.

A detention centre in Timor Leste. UNMIT Photo/Martine Perret

Photo story: UN Crime Congress - Advancing criminal justice and rule of law

17 April 2015
Law and Crime Prevention

This is a critical year for development as countries hammer out a new, post-2015 development agenda. At the 13th Crime Congress, taking place in the Qatari capital of Doha - from 12 to 19 April 2015 - policymakers and experts from around the world have joined forces with the UN, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations to chart a new course for crime prevention and rule of law in support of sustainable development.