Scourge of sexual violence in armed conflict ‘far from being rooted out,’ Security Council told
Despite some positive developments across the United Nations system, the [...]
Caribbean and Latin American Summit take up UN agency anti-hunger plan
A new plan to combat hunger in the Caribbean and Latin America presented by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is being considered for adoption at a summit of the region’s leaders taking place today and tomorrow in the Costa Rican capital.
‘Vicious circles linking violence and hunger’ must end – UN agriculture chief
Agriculture and food security must be treated as essential components of peacebuilding and conflict resolution, the head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said during a special meeting of the UN Peacebuilding Commission held at Headquarters today.
UN Women launches next phase in ‘HeForShe’ campaign at Davos Forum
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, today, UN Women, the United Nations entity dedicated to achieving women’s empowerment and gender equality, unveiled a new initiative to galvanize the support of global leaders to bring an end to the persisting inequalities faced by women and girls around the world.
Private sector, ‘care economy’ will be key engines of job creation for next 5 years – UN report
Private sector services, such as business and administrative services, and real estate, as well as related industries, will employ more than a third of the global workforce over the next five years, according to new data released by the United Nations labour agency.
‘Resilience can become hallmark of 2015,’ says UN disaster risk reduction chief
Ten years ago today, world leaders in Hyogo, Japan agreed on a framework to better manage risk and curb the impact of disasters in the wake of the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami – which claimed some 227,000 lives – and in March, they are set to meet for a United Nations conference in another Japanese city to take stock of whether the world has lived up to that promise.
Concerts to Encourage Climate Action Announced at Davos
Former US Vice President Al Gore, pop star Pharrell Williams and concert producer Kevin Wall today announced a Live Earth music event to demand action on climate change which will take place on June 18 across seven continents, including Antarctica.
New Report Identifies Key Innovations to Bridge Sustainable Development Investment Gap
A new report released today by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) identifies critical innovations in the US$300+ trillion global financial system, which, if brought to scale, could help close the widening sustainable development investment gap. The report is being launched at the World Economic Forum at Davos - at the outset of what promises to be a momentous year for sustainable development.
UN study predicts rising global unemployment due to slower growth, inequality, turbulence
An extra 10 million people worldwide are likely to be unemployed by 2019, a new United Nations report has said today, pointing to slower growth, widening inequalities and economic turbulence as reasons behind the trend.
Radical shift in agriculture critical to making future food systems smarter, more efficient – UN
Climate change and increasing competition for natural resources have essentially rendered the agriculture model of the past 40 years unsustainable, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has stressed, calling for a ‘paradigm shift’ in food production.
UN health agency urges greater government action against non-communicable diseases
The international community has an opportunity to reverse the global epidemic of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and prevent the grim annual toll of 16 million people who die of heart and lung diseases, strokes, cancer and diabetes before the age of 70, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) revealed today.
Marking international year, UN chief celebrates role of light in boosting sustainable growth
The role light-based technologies play in spurring sustainable development can help the international community tackle the challenges of the 21st century, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared today as he unveiled the International Year of Light – the United Nations effort showcasing light’s vital contribution to issues related to energy, education, agriculture and health.
Wake-up call’ data shows 63 million adolescents out of school – joint UN agency report
One in five adolescents worldwide is not in school, which means that some 63 million young people between the ages of 12 and 15 are denied their right to an education, mainly because they are marginalized and poor, a joint United Nations agency report has found as pressure mounts to include universal secondary education in the post-2015 global development agenda.
UN agency stresses need for genetic diversity in agriculture to combat climate change
Knowledge of agricultural genetic resources needs to grow more quickly because of the critical role they have to play in feeding the world as climate change advances faster than expected, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).