21 March marks the adoption of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and honours the legacy of the 1960 Sharpeville massacre, when South African police opened fire on a peaceful protest against apartheid, killing 69 people. A toxic legacy Despite decades of progress, racism...
Melting glaciers, climate crises and access to clean water are some of the messages emerging ahead of World Water Day and the first ever World Day for Glaciers. Join us for live coverage of events at UN Headquarters in New York, Paris and around the world on the 2025 theme...
International Women’s Day, observed on 8 March, is about challenges, backlashes against gender equality and cause for celebrations around the world. Join us as we cover events, changemakers and celebrities at UN Headquarters and beyond today. UN News app users can follow here....
In a crucial year for climate action which, in accordance with the Paris Agreement, seeks to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, World Radio Day is dedicated in 2025 to highlighting the power of broadcasting to bring climate change issues to prominence. That’s the goal of Climate Radio...
“The target is to get between 500 and 600 trucks in per day over the coming weeks,” said Dr Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territories (OPT). This would represent “a huge increase” from the 40 to 50 lorries reaching Gaza in recent months and be similar to...
icardo Pires, UNICEF Communication Manager for Emergencies, told journalists from Damascus that in the last nine years, at least 422,000 incidents involving unexploded ordnance – or UXO – were reported in 14 governorates across Syria, “with half estimated to have ended in tragic child casualties”. “Girls and boys in the...
Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini stressed that no place and no one in Gaza has been safe since the war began in October 2023. “As the year begins, we got reports of yet another attack on Al Mawasi with dozens of people killed and injured,” he said, calling this “another reminder that...
Tragically, the year also saw the highest death toll of migrants in transit. “These challenges are made worse by the rising tide of mis- and disinformation and hate speech which sows division and distorts the valuable contributions migrants are making each and every day,” said Secretary-General António Guterres. The potential...
Human Rights Day, marked annually on 10 December, will focus on the theme Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now. UN News app users can follow our live coverage here. ...
Observed annually on 1 December, the World AIDS Day serves as a reminder of the global fight against the pandemic while commemorating lives lost and celebrating progress. “Every 25 seconds, someone in the world is infected with HIV,” Mr. Guterres said. “One-quarter of people living with HIV – more than...
Commemorated on Saturday, the Day of Remembrance pays tribute to those killed or injured by chemical weapons and urges nations to ensure such horrors are never repeated. In his message, the Secretary-General highlighted a major milestone achieved last year: the complete destruction of declared stockpiles under the Chemical Weapons Convention....
“This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami – one of the deadliest disasters in recent history. More than 230,000 people lost their lives,” Mr. Guterres said in his message for the day. The Secretary General highlighted that approximately 700 million people worldwide remain at risk from tsunamis,...