SDGs

The United Nations and the Olympic flags raised at UN Headquarters. (file)
UN Photo/Evan Schneider

UN Assembly calls on all States to observe Olympic Truce throughout Tokyo Summer Games

9 December 2019
Global

The General Assembly on Monday urged United Nations Member States to observe the Olympic Truce – the ancient Greek tradition calling for the cessation of hostilities before, during and after the Games – in the context of next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

Eight-year-old Filomena, born with spastic quadriplegia and epilepsy, and her mother colour in drawings at the psychosocial rehabilitation centre in Maputo, Mozambique. (8 October 2018)
© UNICEF/Amminadab Jean

‘We all must step up’ collective action on disability inclusion – UN deputy chief

7 December 2019

The international community has agreed truly ground-breaking frameworks to advance the rights of persons with disabilities, including in the context of development, but there remains a significant gap between these ambitions and the reality experienced daily by millions of persons with disabilities, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told a conference in Doha on Saturday. 

The Tanzanian Maasai landscape has witnessed a dramatic increase in soil erosion.
University of Plymouth/Carey Marks

Soil erosion must be stopped ‘to save our future’, says UN agriculture agency

5 December 2019
Global

Although soils are essential for human well-being and the sustainability of life on the planet, they are threatened on all continents by natural erosion, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on World Soil Day, calling for their protection.

Secretary General António Guterres at COP25.
UNFCCC

Monday’s Daily Brief: COP25, African debt, cost of Israeli occupation, UN worker’s world record

2 December 2019
Global

A recap of Monday’s stories: Guterres calls for ‘path of resolve, sustainable solutions’ in Madrid; Slavery today; Israeli occupation costs $48 billion; UN deputy chief says sustainable development, sustainable debt are “inseparable”; UN worker’s feat raises awareness of child sexual abuse link to HIV/AIDS.

DESA USG Liu Zhenmin speaks at the Berlin Internet Governance Forum
UN photo/Tobias Hofsass

Internet Forum: Prioritize technologies most needed for sustainable development

27 November 2019
Global

It is “critical” to prioritize technologies that are most needed for sustainable development, a high-level UN official told the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) on Wednesday in Berlin.

The UN health agency, WHO, is encouraging adolescents to exercise more.
Unsplash/Paul Proshin

Four in five adolescents failing to exercise for even 60 minutes a day, UN health agency warns

22 November 2019
Global

An alarming lack of exercise among adolescents across the world risks seriously compromising their health into adulthood, the UN said on Thursday.
 

Fisherman in Timor Leste casts net in the water to catch small fish. UN Photo/Martine Perret
UN Photo/Martine Perret

Deadly life at sea: UN partners spotlight depths of danger in fishing industry

21 November 2019
Global

There is a clear link between the seedy underbelly of the seafood industry, and fishers’ safety, now ranked as the second deadliest profession in the world; and more must be done to ensure people dependent on this type of labour are working in safe conditions, UN partners urged on Thursday. 

Global Forest Watch’s mobile application uses satellite data to monitor forest loss in real time.
UNEP/Lisa Murray

‘Maximize the positive’ from new technologies, for our digital future, Guterres urges

21 November 2019

Both positive and negative technological developments are jolting the world at “unprecedented speed”, the UN chief said on Thursday, underscoring the need to “maximize the benefits…whilst mitigating harms”.

At her Wau hospital office in South Sudan, HIV health counselor Helen Pio runs the Prevention of Mother To Child Transmission programme.
© UNICEF/Gonzalez Far

UN, African Union make significant joint commitment to global health

18 November 2019
Africa

In the drive towards universal health coverage, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the African Union (AU) Commission cemented their mutual commitment to global health by signing on Monday an historic agreement.

As the population in Nigeria increases, efforts are underway to ensure that open defecation does not increase.
© WSSCC/Jason Florio

‘Transformational benefits’ of ending outdoor defecation: Why toilets matter

18 November 2019
Global

Ending the practice of defecating in the open, rather than in a toilet, will have “transformational benefits” for some of the world’s most vulnerable people, says the UN’s partner sanitation body, the WSSCC (Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council).