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Deal to reduce recent Gaza tensions will aid fight against COVID-19

The top UN official in the Middle East has hailed an agreement to reduce the latest tensions in and around Gaza amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Attacks on journalists are attacks on all civil society: UN rights chief

UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet has urged all countries to do more to protect journalists, especially during the COVID-19 crisis, as their work helps save lives.

Belarus must stop torturing protesters and prevent enforced disappearances

Independent UN human rights experts on Tuesday called on Belarus to stop torturing detainees and bring to justice police officers who have reportedly humiliated and beaten protestors in their custody, as mass demonstrations over the disputed 9 August presidential election continue for a fourth week. 

Beirut facing acute environmental crisis, warns UN energy specialist

Contamination from hazardous chemicals, landfill sites at capacity, and water pollution, are among the most urgent challenges faced by the Lebanese authorities and UN teams tackling the huge task of clearing up Beirut, following the massive explosion in the city’s port on 4 August.

‘No hope’ of reaching climate, development goals, without youth optimism and know-how

Without harnessing the energy, tech savvy and optimism of young people, the world has no hope of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or the Paris Agreement on climate change, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday.

UN agencies support flood response in Sudan but warn aid stocks ‘rapidly’ depleting

The UN and its partners are supporting the Sudanese Government as it responds to recent severe flooding, which has killed 90 people and affected 380,000 others, the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said on Tuesday.

From farm to fork: How food systems can power climate action

Taking specific steps to transform national food supply systems can help countries achieve climate goals and limit global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius, a new joint UN report on climate action has found. 

‘Emergency’ for global education, as fewer than half world's students cannot return to school

Classes for more than 450 million students starting the new academic year are expected to be entirely remote – or for some, a mix of distance and in-person learning – the UN education and cultural organization (UNESCO) has said. 

Sudan: Darfur deal welcomed by UN chief as 'historic achievement'

A peace agreement between Sudanese authorities and key armed movements from Darfur could provide a path to national unity, the head of the joint UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) said on Monday. Secretary-General António Guterres later described it as an "historic achievement" towards lasting peace.

Kickstarting economies without COVID-19 plan, ‘a recipe for disaster’: Tedros

Eight months into the COVID-19 pandemic, countries want to “get their economies going again”, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday, advising on the measures that governments, communities and individuals should take, to do so safely.