19 August 2019 — The work of women humanitarians makes a “huge difference” to the lives of millions of women, men and children in urgent need, the United Nations chief said in his message for World Humanitarian Day.
16 August 2019 — Two months since hundreds of thousands of people fled violence in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UN humanitarians warned on Friday that armed militia continue to make their safe return impossible.
16 August 2019 — The daily struggle to survive for Myanmar’s Rohingya people in one of the world’s largest refugee settlements, has caused “overwhelming” despair and jeopardized the hopes of an entire generation, the head of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Henrietta Fore, said on Friday.
15 August 2019 — An attack in the south of Syria’s restive Idlib province that led to the deaths of a paramedic, an ambulance driver and a rescue worker, were added to the grim total on Thursday of more than 500 civilian fatalities documented in the country by the United Nations, over the past three and a half months alone.
15 August 2019 — To mark next week’s International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism, UN News travelled to Chad and the Far North region of Cameroon in West Africa earlier in the year, to interview people who have personal stories to tell about how terrorism has shattered their lives.
14 August 2019 — A UN call for a humanitarian truce over this week’s Eid al-Adha religious holiday led to a “palpable reduction” of violence around the embattled capital of Tripoli, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said in a statement released on Wednesday.
14 August 2019 — Back in May, six innovative public figures joined the battle to push the world towards reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Each of the new official SDG Advocates committed themselves to pursue the 17 goals on behalf of “peace, prosperity, people, planet, and partnerships.” As we inch closer to the SDG Summit in September, UN News caught up with some of them.
13 August 2019 — In commemorating the 70th anniversary of the landmark Geneva Conventions, the president of the United Nations Security Council hailed the “significant body of law”, describing it as playing “a vital role in limiting brutality of armed conflicts”.
On World Humanitarian Day 2019 we honour the work of women in crises throughout the world. We focus on the unsung heroes who have long been working on the front lines in their own communities in some of the most difficult terrains, from the war-wounded in Afghanistan, to the food insecure in the Sahel, to those who have lost their homes and livelihoods in conflicts. Women make up a large number of those who risk their own lives to save others. They are often the first to respond and the last to leave. These women deserve to be celebrated. And world leaders as well as non-state actors must ensure that they – and all humanitarians – are guaranteed the protection afforded to them under international law.
Victims of terrorism continue to struggle to have their voices heard, have their needs supported and their rights upheld. Victims often feel forgotten and neglected once the immediate aftermath of a terrorist attack fades, which can have profound consequences for them. This year, the second commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to Victims of Terrorism will focus on the resilience of victims and their families - how they have coped and what they have done to transform their experiences to aid healing and recovery as well as become stronger and more united against terrorism.
Freedom of religion or belief, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to peaceful assembly and the right to freedom of association are enshrined in articles 18, 19 and 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Upholding these rights plays an important role in the fight against all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion or belief. The General Assembly adopted the resolution A/RES/73/296 strongly condemning continuing violence and acts of terrorism targeting individuals on the basis of or in the name of religion or belief.
UNAIDS warmly welcomes the UN Secretary-General's appointment of Winnie Byanyima as its new Executive Director. Ms. Byanyima has more than 30 years of experience in political leadership, diplomacy and humanitarian engagement. “I am honoured to be joining UNAIDS as the Executive Director at such a critical time in the response to HIV,” said Ms. Byanyima. “The end of AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 is a goal that is within the world’s reach, but I do not underestimate the scale of the challenge ahead. Working with all its partners, UNAIDS must continue to speak up for the people left behind and champion human rights as the only way to end the epidemic.”
The Secretary-General tasked his Envoy on Youth, Jayathma Wickramanayake, in conjunction with the UN system and youth themselves, to lead development of a UN Youth Strategy. Its aim: scale up global, regional and national actions to meet young people’s needs, realize their rights and tap their possibilities as agents of change. In this article for UN Chronicle, Ms. Wickramanayake says: "We need to support those who are in dire need of education so they are able to compete in the continuously changing job market and the fourth industrial revolution." The strategy’s thematic priority areas reflect all three pillars of the UN system: sustainable development, peace and security, and human rights.
Find out more about the Sustainable Development Goals
