“We can’t lose sight of the forest because we’re tussling over individual trees,” said Simon Stiell, urging delegates to wrap up “less contentious issues” as early as possible this week, so there is enough time for the major political decisions. COP29 opened in the Azerbaijan capital this past Monday with...
This waterway, a silent witness to the turmoil of the municipality of Mapiripán, has seen it all – the wildlife trafficking, the coca harvests that fuelled conflict, the human bodies left behind amid a heinous massacre and the relentless erosion of the rainforest it once nourished. Now, Sandra hopes it...
What is the World Urban Forum? The World Urban Forum (WUF), a major UN conference on sustainable urban development, was set up in 2001 to address global urbanisation, one of the most pressing issues facing the world today. Since then, a forum has been held every two years and this...
Everyone has a right to food. World Food Day, marked annually on 16 October, is being celebrated in more than 150 countries and over 50 languages. Stay tuned throughout the day as we take you to Rome for the main event at 10am local time at the headquarters of the...
Speaking at the closing of the Global Refugee Forum, the Secretary-General said that protection and help for these most vulnerable of people, was “an obligation shared by all of humanity”. He was speaking after three days of intensive activity geared to finding solutions and building partnerships, which saw pledges from multiple...
And a busy stage it was. The big week of UNGA’s 78th session was triple focused on health, climate change, and turbocharging the race midway to realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While world leaders’ report cards on this global stage have traditionally headlined past UNGA sessions, recent years have...
Those were some of the takeaways from a high-level special event held on the sidelines of the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment on Africa’s food sovereignty and resilience, organized by the Interdepartmental Task Force on African Affairs (IDTFAA). Representatives from governments, the UN, the African Union and others, exchanged views...
António Guterres expressed “deep solidarity” with all of those who have become victims of the full-scale Russian invasion of February last year. Violation of the Charter “The position of the United Nations, which I have consistently expressed, is crystal clear: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a violation of the UN...
“We owe it to people to find solutions, to fight back, and to act”, said Secretary-General António Guterres. “At times, discreetly but always with determination, we will fight back.” Building on his general call to action, Mr. Guterres announced that he would convene a Climate Ambition Summit next September, and...
The UN biodiversity conference, COP15, is due to wrap up on 19 December. This weekend, we are looking at some of the ways that humanity is reliant on biodiversity for a healthy and thriving global ecosystem. When a species goes extinct, it takes with it all of the physical, chemical,...
Speaking in Geneva, after returning from a four-day tour of war-ravaged Ukraine this week, Volker Türk confirmed that he had been forced to take shelter in a bunker during a shelling attack. His experience was what Ukrainians and UN colleagues, encountered “on a regular basis”, the High Commissioner said, before insisting that...
“The world has promised to end AIDS by 2030”, said Secretary-General António Guterres in his official message, but “we are off track.” “Today, we risk millions more new infections and millions more deaths”, he added, calling on governments everywhere to make the “Equalize” slogan a reality. He said the “proven practical...