UN News stories

24 stories found over the past 45 days
Amid competing global challenges, public health deserves priority – UN official

20 May 2013 – At a time when the world is dealing with myriad challenges, from climate change to food insecurity, it is more important than ever to ensure that public health receives the both the attention and resources it deserves to ensure the well-being of millions, a senior United Nations official said today.

Yemen’s humanitarian crisis could threaten political gains, warns UN relief official

16 May 2013 – Yemen is facing a worsening humanitarian situation which could destabilize the country’s gains on the political front, a senior United Nations relief official warned today, noting that half of the country’s 24 million people are in need of assistance.

Tetanus eliminated in over 30 countries at high risk – UN and partners

15 May 2013 – The United Nations and its partners today announced that tetanus – one of the most deadly diseases a mother and her newborn can face – has been eliminated in more than 30 countries with previously had high rates of the illness.

UN agencies helping Bangladesh, Myanmar prepare for Tropical Cyclone Mahasen

15 May 2013 – United Nations aid agencies are working with the Governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar to prepare for Tropical Cyclone Mahasen, which is expected to make landfall within the next 24 to 36 hours, possibly threatening millions of people across the region.

Health gap between countries is narrowing, but challenges remain – UN report

15 May 2013 – The health gap between poor and rich countries has narrowed significantly over the past two decades according to a United Nations report released today, which stresses that in spite of this progress, challenges still remain to achieve the health targets of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

UN finds critical shortages of food, other supplies on visit to Syrian village of Houla

14 May 2013 – A United Nations inter-agency mission that recently visited the Syrian village of Houla – the site of a massacre of over 100 people in May 2012 – found a critical shortage of food, water, medical supplies and fuel, the world body said today.

New UN study highlights huge potential for generating clean energy in Africa

13 May 2013 – Less than 1 per cent of all patent applications relating to clean energy technology (CET) have been filed in Africa, according to a new United Nations study, which also highlights the opportunity for the continent to leapfrog existing fossil-fuel energy sources and, in the process, cut greenhouse gas emissions and improve public health.

Libya: UN mission strongly condemns deadly bombing in Benghazi

13 May 2013 – The United Nations Assistance Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) strongly condemned the bombing that took place today near a hospital in the city of Benghazi and resulted in a number of deaths, including children, as well as injuries.

CAR: UN agency ‘condemns in strongest possible terms’ killing of teen linked to rebels

10 May 2013 – The United Nations Children’s Fund today condemned in the strongest possible terms the re-recruitment and the killing of a 17-year-old boy in the Central African Republic (CAR) associated with the Séléka rebel coalition and called for the release of all children linked to the group.

UN report confirms nearly 200 women and girls raped by Congolese troops, rebels

08 May 2013 – Congolese armed forces, known by the French acronym FARDC, raped more than 102 women and 33 girls, some as young as six years old, as they fled the advance M23 rebels in country’s restive eastern region in November 2012, according to a joint UN report released today.