WORLD NEWS

The Summit took place 30 years after the landmark 1995 Copenhagen meeting that put social justice at the heart of sustainable development. Since then, many countries report dramatic gains in education, health and poverty reduction – but also widening inequality, demographic pressures, climate vulnerability and conflict. National experiences shared Leaders and ministers repeatedly stressed that…

Filippo Grandi reported that for the first time in nearly a decade, the number of refugees and other people fleeing war, violence and persecution, has decreased – from 123 million at the end of 2024 to about 117 million today. “This may seem surprising. Because the world has not become safer – on the contrary,” he said, pointing to conflicts in places such as…

The increased use reflects a major health success that has allowed millions of young people to avoid unintended pregnancy and exercise choice over their futures, but UNFPA said that “for far too many, the basic human right to choose whether to have children continues to be undermined.” ‘Contraceptives save lives’ The unavailability of contraception leads…

“Industrial development is critical to strengthening economies, fighting poverty, and creating jobs and prosperity,” declared UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his message to the event, delivered by the senior UN official in Saudia Arabia, Mohamed El-Zarkani.  Lifting the burden of poverty  Delegates from governments, private sector and civil society have arrived in the Saudi capital…

Marking Sunday’s International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, the United Nations is calling for justice for those silenced, and protection for those still speaking truth to power – whether in conflict zones or in the online spaces where abuse is spreading fast. “Media professionals around the globe face mounting perils in their…

In a statement issued by his Spokesperson, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that he was appalled to learn that multiple drone strikes on 4 December had hit a children’s nursery and a hospital in Kalogi, where the injured were being treated. Echoing those concerns, the head of UN World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that Kalogi…

According to a new report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released on Thursday, 10,200 hectares were under opium cultivation this year, down from 12,800 hectares in 2024 and far below the 232,000 hectares recorded before the ban. Production of the drug dropped even more steeply, falling by almost a third to…

The plan does not introduce new proposals but sets out how the UN system intends to advance the ones already on the table: 87 actions, grouped into 31 work packages across 3 workstreams, stretching from peace operations and humanitarian response to technology, shared services and institutional mergers. “Its purpose is to bring structure, transparency and…

In a news release issued on Saturday, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran said it was alarmed by credible reports that security forces had been ordered to carry out a “decisive” crackdown without restraint, as demonstrations entered a third week. Internet and mobile connectivity were shut down on the evening of 8 January, severely…

The attacks over the last 24 hours left civilians reportedly killed and injured in the port city of Odesa, interrupting power and water supplies there, as well as in the regions of Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine Matthias Schmale wrote in a social media post. Along with basic services, the UN aid coordination…