This is the News in Brief from the United Nations.

Amid recent slowdown in global trade, ‘green goods’ are the winning ticket

Global trade slowed down in the second half of 2022, but demand for environmentally friendly goods stayed strong, the UN Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD, said on Thursday. 

According to UNCTAD’s latest update, trade in “green goods”, which use fewer resources and pollute less, grew by four per cent in the second half of the year, reaching a record $1.9 trillion in 2022.

“This is good news for the planet, as these goods are key to protecting the environment and fighting climate change,” said UNCTAD economist Alessandro Nicita, who co-wrote the agency’s latest Global Trade Update.

Green goods that performed especially well in 2022 included electric and hybrid vehicles, non-plastic packaging and wind turbines.

The findings come days after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that greenhouse gas emissions need to be cut by almost half by 2030, to stop temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

UN chief calls on EU to help world get ‘back on track’ towards development goals

UN Secretary-General António Guterres attended an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, seeking support for action on climate change, sustainable development and addressing the ongoing challenges linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In a joint press encounter with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, Mr. Guterres appealed for EU leaders to help the world “get back on track” towards the Sustainable Development Goals at a time when progress in so many parts of the world had been reversed.

“We need an acceleration agenda,” he said.

Mr. Guterres also highlighted the need for financial system reforms and urgent climate action.

He said the Russian invasion of Ukraine is causing “tremendous suffering” to the Ukrainian people, but also having a “huge impact” around the world.

Southern Africa: Cyclone Freddy aftermath brings diseases, health care gaps

Southern African countries hit hard by tropical Cyclone Freddy are reeling from disease outbreaks, with health services stretched to the limit, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.

The devastation caused by the cyclone in Madagascar, Malawi and Mozambique has increased the spread of cholera and malaria, as well as malnutrition. Meanwhile, more than 300 health facilities have been destroyed or flooded in the three countries, limiting healthcare access.

WHO said that Malawi is still battling its “worst-ever” cholera outbreak, although cases are declining. In Mozambique, cholera cases have more than doubled over the past week, to almost 2,400.

Overall, flooding and torrential rains have affected more than 1.4 million people in the three countries. WHO and partners are providing support in the form of cholera treatment centres, medical supplies and health worker training.

Cholera outbreaks are affecting 14 African countries; WHO said that they are “exacerbated” by extreme climate events and conflict.

Dominika Tomaszewska-Mortimer, UN News.