Saying human rights have been largely absent from discussions of urban development at a time when more than half the world’s population lives in cities, the UN independent expert on adequate housing today challenged governments to end homelessness and improve living conditions for all.
Marking World Habitat Day, which is observed every year on the first Monday of October, top United Nations officials today urged the creation of “Public spaces for all.”
The United Nations is today urging countries to improve older [...]
Ahead of the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit from 25-27 September, and to mark the seventieth anniversary of the United Nations, a 10-minute film introducing the sustainable development goals was projected onto the United Nations Headquarters last night.
In his address to the World Cities Summit in New York today, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson called on global leaders to adapt to the demographic and cultural shift that is taking place in cities worldwide in order to make them economically viable, environmentally sustainable and socially vibrant.
Transport Ministers participating in the International Transport Forum (ITF) Annual Summit agreed in their Declaration from Ministers on Transport, Trade and Tourism on the value of pursuing low-carbon transport towards COP21.
Each day some 500 children die from road traffic crashes, thousands more are injured and the situation is only getting worse, the United Nations warned today as it launched #SaveKidsLives, a global campaign to generate action to make streets safe for children.
The United Nations went dark this evening as the Organization turned off the lights at its iconic Headquarters complex in New York and other facilities around the world in observance of ''Earth Hour,'' an annual global event raising awareness about the need to take action on climate change and promoting sustainable energy consumption.
The United Nations will switch off its lights at it New York Headquarters tonight in support of Earth Hour, an annual event featuring the participation of millions of people around the world to call attention to the need for climate action.
In the last 20 years, we've seen over 1.3 million people killed and more than 4 billion affected by disasters that have cost at least US$2 trillion. It is clear that we will never eradicate poverty or achieve sustainable development goals so long as disasters continue to set back progress. But it doesn't have to be this way. While weak development choices expose people to disasters, good, risk-informed development makes people and communities more resilient.
Government and civil society leaders from around the world are gathering in the Japanese city of Sendai for a United Nations conference that will take stock of ten years of global work to better prepare for and curb the impact of disasters, and to agree on an updated global response framework.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today warned that “growing global inequality, [...]
As countries prepare to meet at the Third Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in less than two weeks, UN officials tell us why strengthening our resilience is essential if we want to achieve sustainable development.
A transition to modern district energy systems could contribute to 60 per cent of required energy sector emissions reductions by 2050, and reduce primary energy consumption by up to 50 per cent, according to a new report launched today by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in collaboration with the Copenhagen Centre on Energy Efficiency (C2E2), ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, and UN-Habitat.
Welcoming India’s efforts to confront climate change, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, Michael Bloomberg, said today that the country was incredibly well placed to capitalise on the benefits of renewable energy.
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.
