Global

Rosemary A. DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs.
UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras

As the year closes out, UN political chief talks the art of diplomacy – and crises to watch in 2019

31 December 2018
Peace and Security

As the world – and the United Nations – continues to grapple with political crises, we look at the political landscape with Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo. We begin by asking her what it’s like to be the top UN political officer.

From left: UN flag at the Headquarters, in New York; the Deputy Secretary-General holds a copy of the UNCTAD SDG report; UN peacekeepers in the field; Secretary-General with women members of his Senior Management Team.
UN Photo

UN News 2018 Recap: In Case You Missed It

25 December 2018
UN Affairs

At UN News, 2018 kicked off with UNICEF’s “challenge” to all nations to make sure more newborns survive their first days of life by ensuring they are protected from treatable diseases as well as having access to proven, low-cost health solutions in their first months.

The Global Compact for Migration was adopted in the UNGA Vote: Favor 152 Against 5 Abstention 12
UN Photo/Manuel Elías

General Assembly officially adopts roadmap for migrants to improve safety, ease suffering

19 December 2018
Migrants and Refugees

The United Nations General Assembly officially endorsed the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration on Wednesday, a non-binding agreement adopted in Marrakech on 10 December by 164 Member States, and described by UN chief António Guterres as a “roadmap to prevent suffering and chaos”.

Italy. Restaurant run by refugees and local entrepreneurs opens in Catania
© UNHCR/Alessio Mamo

Global Compact on Refugees: How is this different from the migrants’ pact and how will it help?

17 December 2018
Migrants and Refugees

The terms ‘refugee’ and ‘migrant’ have been used interchangeably to describe the millions of people worldwide that are either fleeing conflict or seeking better living conditions. As the United Nations sets out to secure global compacts to better protect them, it’s critical to understand the differences between the two.

COP24 closing plenary meeting in Katowice, Poland, 16 December 2018.
UNFCCC/James Dowson

At COP24, countries agree concrete way forward to bring the Paris climate deal to life

15 December 2018
Climate and Environment

After two weeks of crunch negotiations – with overtime – the almost 200 parties gathered in Katowice, Poland, for the United Nations COP24 two-week climate change conference, adopted on Saturday a “robust” set of implementing guidelines for the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement, aimed at keeping global warming well below 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels.

An elderly patient receives rehabilitation care in Japan (file)
WHO/Yoshi Shimizu

UN pushes for universal health care on International Day

12 December 2018
Health

Universal health care for all, leaving no one behind, by 2030: that’s the call going out on International Universal Health Coverage Day, which this year falls on Wednesday. Why 2030? Because that’s the target date for completion of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), one of which (SDG3), calls for the promotion of healthy lives and well-being for all.

Prince Albert II of Monaco, chair of the IOC Sustainability and Legacy Commission, speaking at the launch of the Sports Climate Action Framework at the COP24 climate action conference in Katowice, Poland. 11 December 2018.
UNFCCC Secretariat

COP24: World sports join team UN in race against climate change

12 December 2018
Climate and Environment

Major organizations from the world of sport are joining an increasing number of private sector businesses in the race to beat global warming. At the United Nations’ COP24 conference in Poland on Wednesday, 17 major players representing sporting bodies, athletes and fans, added their names to the collective scoreboard, with the launch of the Sports Climate Action Framework.

Sunset falls at Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, in Poland. Auschwitz has become a symbol of terror, genocide, and the Holocaust. (file 2013)
UN Photo/Evan Schneider

‘Complacency is still strong’ over stopping genocide, says top UN adviser

9 December 2018
Peace and Security

The current rise in hate speech, racial tensions and identity-based violence is alarming, the UN Special Adviser on preventing genocide said on Friday, highlighting his concern that ‘complacency is still strong’, when it comes to stopping the mass-killing or extinction of national, ethnic, racial or religious groups.

“No more femicides,” reads this graffiti, scrawled on a wall in Mexico City, where public outcry has been mounting against gender-motivated killings.
Denis Bocquet

Violence against women a ‘mark of shame’ on our societies, says UN chief on World Day

25 November 2018
Women

Violence against women and girls is not only a fundamental human rights issue but also a “moral affront” against them and a “mark of shame” on all societies, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has said, calling greater action by everyone around the world to root out the scourge.

An old coal-fired power plant dumps vast quantities of ash out in the open in Kosovo (June 2008).
World Bank/Lundrim Aliu

Greenhouse gas levels in atmosphere break another record, UN report shows

22 November 2018
Climate and Environment

Levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have reached another new record high, according to a report issued on Thursday by the United Nations weather agency, which reveals that there is no sign of reversal of this trend, responsible for climate change, sea level rise, ocean acidification and extreme weather.