16 November 2018 — Addressing the UN Security Council on Friday, Martin Griffiths, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, said that although conflict continues to rage, he welcomed recent reports of reduced violence in the country.
16 November 2018 — The UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has expressed alarm at reports that up to 30 children have been killed during recent violence in Al Shafa village, in eastern Syria.
15 November 2018 — Africa’s crisis-torn Sahel region needs support from the international community “now more than ever,” the head of United Nations peacekeeping operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, told the Security Council on Thursday.
14 November 2018 — A range of international sanctions imposed against Eritrea nearly a decade ago, were unanimously lifted by the Security Council on Wednesday, four months after the signing of an historic peace agreement with Ethiopia in July.
14 November 2018 — The global prevalence of adult diabetes has nearly quadrupled since 1980, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday, World Diabetes Day, with the call to “eat healthily, be physically active and avoid excessive weight gain.”
13 November 2018 — To build a sustainable peace in Africa’s Sahel region, “urgent attention” is needed to mitigate the effects of climate change, and ensure that communities have access to sufficient opportunities, a joint meeting between the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the UN Peacebuilding Commission highlighted on Tuesday.
13 November 2018 — As violence in the Gaza Strip is once again flaring up reportedly following a raid and bombings by Israeli forces and multiple rocket launches from inside the Palestinian enclave, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, said on Tuesday that he was following developments closely, while his Special Coordinator for the region, Nickolay Mladenov, works with all sides to try and restore calm.
12 November 2018 — New thinking is needed to better address deep gender gaps in access to digital technologies, seek out networks of the increasingly active elderly population, and support young people facing a rapidly transforming labour market, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told delegates on Monday, at the 2018 Internet Governance Forum (IGF), hosted in Paris by the UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Building on the momentum of global movements and grassroots campaigns such as ‘#Metoo’, “#TimesUp”, “#BalanceTonPorc” “#NiUnaMenos”, #MetooIndia and “HollaBack!”, the UN theme for this year’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (25 November – 10 December), under the UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign, is Orange the World: #HearMeToo.
#HearMeToo brings to the forefront the voices of women and girls, who have survived violence, who are defending women’s rights every day, who are taking action — many of them very far away from the limelight or media headlines. Their voices and stories must be heard. For the 16 Days of Activism, join them as they say #HearMeToo.
The Day has become an important tool in global efforts to reduce road casualties. It's an opportunity to draw attention to the scale of emotional and economic devastation caused by road crashes and to give recognition to the suffering of road crash victims and the work of support and rescue services. A dedicated website was also launched to make the Day more widely known and to link countries by sharing common objectives and the remembrance of people killed and injured in crashes. This year's slogan is "Roads have stories" #WDoR2018
Toilets save lives, because human waste spreads killer diseases. World Toilet Day is about inspiring action to tackle the global sanitation crisis. When nature calls, we need a toilet. But, billions of people don’t have one. This means human faeces, on a massive scale, are not being captured or treated – contaminating the water and soil that sustain human life. We are turning our environment into an open sewer. We must build toilets and sanitation systems that work in harmony with ecosystems.
World Children’s Day is a global day of action ‘for children, by children.’ Marking the anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, it’s a fun day with a serious message. This year children are taking over and turning the world blue! We want to build a world where every child is in school, safe from harm and can fulfil their potential, and we know you do too. Join UNICEF’s global petition asking leaders to commit to fulfilling the rights of every child and #GoBlue on the day to show your support.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, recently appointed HRH Princess Sarah Zeid of Jordan and the Venerable Vudhijaya Vajiramedhi, a highly respected Thai Buddhist monk, as its first two Patrons in recognition of their advocacy and awareness-raising work on behalf of millions of refugees. A Patron is a prestigious honorary title given to those who support UNHCR and refugees by dedicating valuable time to disseminate information and knowledge about refugees. The role is to influence public opinion and change negative attitudes towards refugees and engage others to support the work of UNHCR.
The Holding On exhibition showcases the stories of internally displaced people by asking them to reflect on their most cherished possessions. The items that displaced people carry with them when they have to leave their homes often become physical representations of a world that has since disappeared. For many, they represent a promise of return. Marking the 20th anniversary of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, the UN Migration Agency (IOM) launched the ‘Holding On’ digital campaign to raise awareness of the plight of internally displaced persons and celebrate their courage and resilience.
