On the first-ever ‘Digitalisation Day’ for a UN climate conference, the COP29 Declaration on Green Digital Action received endorsements from more than 1,000 governments, companies, civil society organizations, international and regional organizations, and other stakeholders. Pluses and minuses According to the UN International Telecommunications Union (ITU), which organized today’s digital...
“You have every right to be angry. I am angry too,” the UN chief posted on social media on Thursday following his meeting with youth representatives and young environmental activists. “I am angry because we are on the verge of the climate abyss, and I don’t see enough urgency or...
Ahead of the closing ceremony, UN-Habitat Executive Director, Anaclaudia Rossbach, emphasised the Forum’s timely emphasis on local action. “Over half of the world’s population now resides in urban areas,” she said, as she highlighted the pivotal role of local governments in shaping cities and human settlements. WUF12 was “a turning...
In its Adaptation Gap Report 2024: Come Hell and High Water, UNEP warned that vulnerable communities are already bearing the brunt of climate change impacts through extreme weather and disasters. “Climate change is already devastating communities across the world, particularly the most poor and vulnerable. Raging storms are flattening homes,...
The agency is calling for pupils to be better protected from physical, verbal and psychological aggression in a report published on the eve of the International Day against Violence and Harassment in Schools, including Cyberbullying. Learning in safety “At school, every child should feel respected, accepted and safe, so that...
Hearing loss already costs the continent $27 million annually, exacting profound impact on lives and economies, according to the report, which was launched at the African Summit on Hearing Impairment in Nairobi, Kenya. Widespread hearing loss disproportionately affects poor and vulnerable populations. WHO warned that without urgent interventions it will...
The mission was authorized last October to assist Haiti’s beleaguered police force. Led by Kenya, it currently has around 410 police officers on the ground and is expected to grow to around 2,500. For now, the country remains mired in crisis. The renewal comes as the mission tries to curb...
Tackling insecurity in the Caribbean country must be the utmost priority, the report said, urging the authorities and the international community to do more to protect people and prevent further suffering. “No more lives should be lost to this senseless criminality,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk....
With war raging in Sudan and no end in sight to the catastrophic hunger crisis it has created, UN agencies and Member States meeting at the General Assembly in New York on Wednesday prepared to issue a renewed call for urgent action to protect the country’s people....
The Pact along with its annexes, the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations, was adopted by consensus, despite a last-minute proposal for an amendment by some countries, including Russia, Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Syria. The amendment sought to incorporate text calling for...
Both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), along with their allied militias, continue to flout international humanitarian and human rights laws, said Martha Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa at the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), while addressing the Security Council. “Violations...
“We need urgent and ambitious action now to support sustainable development, climate action and disaster risk reduction. The decisions we make today could be the difference between a future breakdown or a breakthrough to a better world,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. Echoing the stark assessment of the latest UN-partnered...