Science and technology can help tackle key sustainable development challenges
Integrated science is essential to strengthen water management, sustainably use the oceans and tackle climate change, the head of the United Nations cultural agency said on World Science Day for Peace and Development.
Day 5 at COP23: Global Action Days kick off with SDGs in spotlight
Al Gore addresses the conference saying, "I’m gonna show you some slides. That’s what I do," and we speak with an astronaut.
New initiatives in energy, water and agriculture sectors announced as Action Days begin
In Bonn, new initiatives were announced to push forward the transition to renewable energy and to show that more ambitious clean energy development can quickly become a bigger part of national climate plans submitted under the Paris Agreement.
Live from COP23: Behind the scenes in Bonn
The COP23 in Bonn, Germany, starts on Mon., 6 November. The UN Department of Public Information will be on the scene, writing a daily blog post.
Half a million Rohingya arrive in Bangladesh; UN agencies rush to provide shelter, clean water
The United Nations refugee agency announced today that it has [...]
Children’s access to safe water and sanitation is a right, not a privilege – UNICEF
In countries beset by violence, displacement, conflict and instability, children's [...]
At start of World Water Week, UN Assembly President says water and sanitation goals need ‘major push’
Encouraging global action to support clean water and sanitation, United [...]
Billions around the world lack safe water, proper sanitation facilities, reveals UN report
Some three in ten people around the world lack access to safe and readily available water at home, and almost six in ten to safely managed sanitation, a new United Nations report has warned, calling on countries to do more to fulfil these basic human needs.
Ukraine: 750,000 children at risk of losing access to safe drinking water, warns UN
With the recent escalation of hostilities damaging vital water infrastructure in eastern Ukraine, at least 750,000 children are at imminent risk of being cut off from safe drinking water, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned today.
‘Radical’ investments needed to meet global water and sanitation targets – UN report
Against the backdrop of almost two billion people around the world relying on sources of drinking-water contaminated with faeces, the United Nations has called on countries to “radically” increase investments in water and sanitation infrastructure not only to protect their populations from deadly diseases but also to ensure that they are able to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
COP22 spotlights water as part of the climate change solution
“Water is one of the most impacted resources, but water also provides solutions to these challenges,” stressed the President of the World Water Council.
World leaders, part of new High-Level Panel, call for action on water
The High Level Panel on Water, consisting of 11 sitting [...]
Media advisory: High-Level Panel on Water stakeout
The High Level Panel on Water, which consists of 11 sitting Heads of State and Government and one Special Adviser, issued today a Call to Action that advocates for a fundamental shift in the way the world looks at water.
At start of World Water Week, UNICEF highlights how girls lose time collecting water
The opportunity cost from a lack of access to water disproportionately falls on women and girls who collectively spend as much as 200 million hours every day collecting it.
Media advisory: Briefing on ‘Water and Jobs’ report
Briefing on the 2016 UN World Water Development Report, “Water [...]
Businesses show SDG support with new #WASHforWork initiative
11 leading organizations introduced a new initiative called WASH4Work, aimed at mobilizing greater business action to address water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) challenges in the workplace, communities where workers live, and across supply chains.
Threats to forests could imperil global freshwater supplies
Safeguarding forests is essential for sustainable management of global freshwater resources and avoiding water shortages, according to United Nations officials and forest experts at an event today marking the International Day of Forests.
Sanitation becomes separate UN human right in enhanced fight against infection
With more than 2.5 billion people worldwide, one third of the total population, living without access to proper toilets, the United Nations General Assembly has recognised sanitation as a separate human right in a bid to curb a major source of deadly infections.
New global arena needed to confront water challenges, UN board says
The supreme importance of water and sanitation to development and well-being merits creation of a powerful new global arena inside the UN, dedicated to resolving water conflicts and common challenges while tracking progress against the world’s newly-agreed development goals.