The rebound follows a massive 95 per cent decrease in 2023, when the ban nearly eliminated poppy production nationwide, leading to a severe decline in Afghanistan’s opium output. However, while cultivation has increased, the current levels remain substantially lower than in 2022, which saw 232,000 hectares under poppy cultivation. UNODC...
“Almost no urban resident will be unaffected, with billions of people subjected to hotter temperatures or exposed to the risks of flooding and other threats,” said Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director of UN-Habitat. The report also highlights a significant funding gap for resilient urban infrastructure. Cities overall need an estimated $4.5...
In a speech delivered during a debate on African development, Assembly President Philémon Yang addressed the continent’s progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union’s (AU) related framework, known as Agenda 2063. “There has never been a better time to accelerate progress towards peace, prosperity and sustainable...
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 situation is critical, said UN General Assembly President Philémon Yang, who convened the high-level meeting. He noted that estimates indicate up to 1.2 billion people could be forcibly displaced. “For those on the front lines, the impacts of rising seas threaten livelihoods, inflict damage to settlements and critical infrastructure, and...
Over 4000 people died from the disease last year, a 71 per cent increase compared to 2022. The number of reported cases also increased by 13 per cent. Cholera is an acute intestinal infection spread through contaminated food and water. While it is preventable and easily treatable, communities with limited access...
Though its current evaluation of the global public health risk is “low”, the UN health agency cautioned that with the onset of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the new variant “could increase” the burden of respiratory infections in many countries, noting other diseases such as RSV, influenza and childhood pneumonia...
Diabetes is a chronic disease which occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. WHO said that more than 460 million people worldwide live with diabetes and millions more are at risk. The UN health agency stressed that...
The assessment by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) looks at preliminary socio-economic impacts, warning that poverty could spike while Gross Domestic Product (GDP) could plummet by 8.4 per cent, which translates into a loss of $1.7 billion. Lamenting the loss...
Israeli settler violence has increased significantly, from an already high average of three incidents per day in 2023 to seven a day now, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OHCA). During this period, OCHA recorded 171 settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in 26 different casualty...
In his message marking the International Day against Nuclear Tests, Secretary-General António Guterres appealed for key countries to ratify the international treaty that bans experiments for both peaceful and military purposes. ‘Recipe for annihilation’ “This year, we face an alarming rise in global mistrust and division,” he said. “At a...
The UN agency has issued its latest Food Price Index (FPI), which tracks the monthly international prices of cereals, vegetable oil, dairy, meat and sugar. The Index averaged 123.9 points in July, up 1.3 per cent from June, driven by an increase in vegetable oil and rice prices. End of a lifeline FAO’s Vegetable Oil...