26 May 2019 — The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expressed “grave concern” on Sunday over “credible accounts” it has been given that Taliban militants have been mistreating prisoners, which in some cases “may amount to torture”.
24 May 2019 — The “boundless energy and optimism” of young Africans is propelling the continent into a new era of sustainable development, alongside new partnerships between the UN and African Union.
24 May 2019 — One-in-three girls or women will experience physical or sexual violence in her lifetime, and “the risk multiplies” during a conflict or natural disaster, the Executive Director of UNICEF told delegates attending the first-ever “Ending Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in Humanitarian Crises Conference” on Friday, in the Norwegian capital, Oslo.
24 May 2019 — Ever since the UN deployed the first of its 72 peacekeeping missions back in 1948, more than 3,800 peacekeepers have lost their lives, Secretary-General António Guterres said on Friday, at a wreath laying ceremony in honour of those “brave men and women” who serve.
23 May 2019 — With the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s worst ever Ebola outbreak now in its tenth month, the United Nations on Thursday announced measures to strengthen its response, with the Organization’s newly appointed Emergency Coordinator (EERC) declaring there is “no time to lose”.
22 May 2019 — The food people eat around the world is becoming “alarmingly homogenous” according to UN data, even though access to a wide variety of nutritious food has never been greater. That warning comes as the world marks the International Day for Biological Diversity on Wednesday, which this year highlights the impact of environmental neglect on food security and public health.
22 May 2019 — Businesses perform better – sometimes by as much as 20 per cent – when they employ more women in top positions, UN labour experts said on Wednesday, warning nonetheless that most still pay lip-service to the idea of gender equality in the boardroom.
21 May 2019 — With 24.2 million Africans forced from their homes in 2017 ̶ 4.6 million more than the previous year ̶ the UN is hosting a three-day event at UN headquarters, focusing on finding durable solutions to the problem, which is a growing burden on the continent’s economy, environment and communities which host those displaced.
Obstetric fistula is one of the most serious and tragic injuries that can occur during childbirth. The condition typically leaves women incontinent, and as a result they are often shunned by their communities. Sufferers often endure depression, social isolation and deepening poverty. Many women live with the condition for years – or even decades – because they cannot afford to obtain treatment. An estimated 2 million women in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, the Arab region, and Latin America and the Caribbean are living with this injury, and some 50,000 to 100,000 new cases develop worldwide each year. Obstetric fistula can be prevented and in most cases treated.
The theme for this year’s Day is “Protecting Civilians, Protecting Peace” to mark the upcoming 20th anniversary of when for the first time the Security Council explicitly mandated a peacekeeping mission (UNAMSIL in Sierra Leone) to protect civilians. Over the past 20 years, protection of civilians has increasingly been at the heart of UN peacekeeping. Today, more than 90% of our peacekeepers serving in eight peacekeeping operations -- in Abyei and Darfur, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Lebanon, Mali and South Sudan – have protection of civilians’ mandates. These peacekeepers put themselves in harm’s way to protect civilians from violence every day.
Global growth outlook has weakened, amid unresolved trade tensions and elevated international policy uncertainty, according to the World Economic Situation and Prospects as of mid-2019. Across both developed and developing countries, growth projections for 2019 have been downgraded. Following an expansion of 3.0 per cent in 2018, world gross product growth is now projected to moderate to 2.7 per cent in 2019 and 2.9 per cent in 2020, reflecting a downward revision from the forecasts released in January. A further escalation in trade disputes, a sudden deterioration in financial conditions, and the accelerating effects of climate change could trigger a sharper or more prolonged growth slowdown.
Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus has called for a complete change in the ways we address the often-related issues of hunger and conflict. Professor Yunus, from Bangladesh, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his work to tackle poverty through micro-credit. He is a founding member of the FAO-Nobel Peace Laureates Alliance for Food Security and Peace, an advocacy group focused on breaking the cycle between conflict and hunger. Speaking at an event at FAO headquarters in Rome highlighting progress made by the FAO Nobel Alliance, established in 2016, he told the audience that a project in the Central African Republic, designed by FAO, demonstrates that agricultural entrepreneurship can help transform communities.
Over the next 10 years the United Nations Decade of Family Farming will help focus efforts around the world to eradicate hunger and malnutrition, lift rural people out of poverty, and safeguard natural resources. Family farming produces over 80 per cent of the world’s food, improves the environmental sustainability of agriculture, preserves and restores biodiversity and ecosystems, produces traditional and nutritious food, thus contributing to a balanced diet and to the maintenance of cultural heritage in rural areas. The International Decade of Family Farming 2019-2028 was proclaimed as a framework for countries to develop public policies and investments to support family farmers, contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Find out more about the Sustainable Development Goals
